CHRONIC PAIN AND THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC ENVIRONMENT - RESULTS FROM THE PAIN CLINIC AT MALMO-GENERAL-HOSPITAL IN SWEDEN

Objective: To study the occurrence of chronic pain in relation to diff erent sociodemographic factors. Design and patients: The study cohort included all 1,360 new patients who, between July 1, 1988, and June 30 , 1991, were referred to the multidisciplinary Pain Clinic at Malmo Ge neral Hospital, Malmo, Sweden, because of chronic, nonmalignant pain. The patients were characterized by age, sex, type of pain (nociceptive , neurogenic, psychogenic), place of residence, and ethnic background. Setting: The referred sample was from the municipality of Malmo, a ci ty with 240,000 inhabitants in an industrialized area served by one ho spital. Results: The age and sex standardized number of patients refer red per 10,000 inhabitants and year varied among the different city ar eas from 0.35 to 1.63. High-rate areas had, in comparison to the city average, a higher migration rate, a higher proportion of single househ olds with children, a higher percentage of people in need of social se curity benefits, a higher unemployment rate, and a greater percentage of people with foreign background. The age and sex distribution differ ed greatly among the three pain categories. Nociceptive pain was the m ost common category, with a striking overrepresentation of young women . Conclusion: Our results support the view that the occurrence of pain in an urban population is related to a number of sociodemographic fac tors. Further studies should be performed to evaluate how these factor s influence incidence, medical-seeking behavior, clinical course, and rules for referral.