People experience the steepest increases in pain before age 55, rather than in later life as might be expected, a new study led by McGill University researchers has found.

Published in Nature Medicine, the study analyzed self-reported pain data from more than 6.1 million people across 118 countries and territories.

The analysis showed that different types of pain follow different paths through life. Headaches and stomach pain tend to peak early in life, while back, hip and knee pain climb as people age. Overall, the sharpest rise in pain occurred before age 55.

Women reported more pain than men, at nearly every age. Researchers also found people in less-industrialized countries reported higher levels of pain than did people in other countries, a finding that contrasts with some global estimates suggesting the opposite.

The study also establishes a global benchmark for pain. Like growth charts pediatricians use to track a child's height and weight, it allows researchers to compare pain levels against global averages for people of the same age and sex.

The benchmark could help researchers track pain more effectively and identify opportunities to prevent it earlier in life.

About the study

“Global and regional reference curves for pain across the lifespan in 6.1 million individuals in 118 countries” by Matt Fillingim and Etienne Vachon-Presseau et al., was published in Nature Medicine. The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, the Quebec Pain Research Network, the Louise and Alan Edwards Grants in Pain Research and the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation.