46% of Israelis suffer from chronic pain, compared with 10-40% of residents of other countries, according to a survey of 3,739 persons by Ben Gurion University Faculty of Health Sciences and Clalit Health Services. The survey’s findings were published ahead of an interdisciplinary conference on “Pain of the Flesh and Blood Expressions of the Sick, Suffering and Pleasing Body”.
The survey was conducted by Dr. Roni Peleg, Dr. Michael Sharf, Prof. Pesach Shvartzman, and Dr. Yoram Singer MD, who tried to assess the prevalence of chronic pain among Israel’s population, broken down by patient characteristics, and on coping methods. 38% of people reporting chronic pain are aged 25-50, and the rest are over 51. Two-thirds of sufferers are women. 32% of respondents reported chronic pain in the back, 17% in the limbs, 13% in the head, 10% in the abdomen, 7% in the knees, and 6% in the chest.
Over one-third of chronic pain sufferers have serious pain, 69% suffer from moderate to severe pain, 49% suffer from moderate to severe pain during sleep, and 47% reported moderate to severe pain during work. However, only 4.8% of persons suffering from chronic pain visited a pain specialist for an assessment.
Employers ought to take note: one-fifth of respondents said they lost workdays because of chronic pain.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 26, 2006
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