Global and regional reference curves for pain across the lifespan in 6.1 million individuals in 118 countries.

Global pain trajectories across the lifespan reveal higher late-life prevalence in low-HDI countries, with 18.3% of pain burden linked to modifiable risk factors.

• Why it matters: Understanding how pain burden varies worldwide and across ages is crucial for developing targeted interventions and addressing disparities in pain management and prevention.
• What they did: Harmonizing data from over 6.1 million individuals across 118 countries, researchers established reference pain trajectories and created an open-access platform for benchmarking external datasets against these norms.
• The result: Findings show higher pain prevalence in women and in low-HDI regions at older ages, with modifiable factors accounting for a significant portion of pain, guiding more equitable global health strategies.