By Does smoking lead to chronic pain later in adulthood? Well, millions of people around the world smoke cigarettes. Millions of adults around the world also suffer from chronic widespread pain. Researchers in England set out to answer the question of whether or not the two could be related. They wanted to see if long-term smoking leads to chronic widespread pain later in adulthood. The results of their study are important in helping healthcare providers to be able to identify those who may be at a greater risk for chronic widespread pain. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of smoking prevention programs.
In the August 2018 issue of the journal BMJ Open, researchers shared their findings of a study that began in 1946 (1). During that year they started tracking 2,347 men and women, assessing them over the years to find out if they had engaged in smoking cigarettes. The participants were classified as never being a smoker, predominantly non-smoker, a predominant smoker, and a lifelong smoker. Their goal was to assess their pain levels at the age of 68.
The researcher measures the pain assessments of their patients that turned 68. They found that there was an association with smoking and chronic widespread pain over the years of tracking these individuals’ compiled the data from long-term smoking.
Compared to those who had never smoked and who were predominantly non-smokers, the predominant smokers and lifelong smokers had an increased risk of chronic widespread pain. Really does smoking lead to chronic pain? let’s find out some more.
They concluded in their study that exposure to cigarette smoking at any age in adulthood associated with higher risks of chronic widespread pain later in adulthood. The findings of this study are backed up by prior research that point to the same thing, including a study that was in the July 2015 issue of the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases.
In that study, researchers stated reported that cigarette smoking is common among adults with chronic pain. Their study was conducted over a 15-year period and included 5,350 patients, 1,256 of whom were smokers. They concluded that smoking was consistently observed within commonly occurring pain diagnoses including fibromyalgia, back pain, and headache (2).
Health professionals have long known that smoking can have some dire consequences over time. It’s important that those who have chronic pain and those who work with such patients be aware of the connection between smoking and the pain that it may cause later on in adulthood.
So the question is “Does smoking lead to chronic pain?” the answer is yes. Smoking is associated with consequences later on in adulthood.
Sources:
BMJ Open. Lifetime cigarette smoking and chronic widespread and regional pain in later adulthood: evidence from the 1946 British birth cohort study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30158227
Tobacco Induced Diseases. Prevalence of smoking in adults with chronic pain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4504349/
