Does short-term, chronic localized, and chronic widespread pain increase the risk for cardiovascular disease in UK Biobank participants?
Chronic pain is an independent and underestimated risk factor for major cardiovascular events, highlighting its importance in cardiovascular risk assessment.
Chronic pain is associated with an increased risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and cardiovascular death independent of established cardiovascular risk factors, socioeconomic factors, comorbidities and medication. Our study, the largest to date, confirms and extends our understanding of chronic pain as an underestimated cardiovascular risk factor with important public health implications.
Rönnegård et al. (Tue,) studied this question.