A new study shows that people with chronic pain are more likely to develop high blood pressure over time.
The risk is especially high for those who have pain in several parts of their body or also suffer from depression. These results were published in the journal Hypertension by the American Heart Association.
Researchers looked at health data from over 200,000 adults in the U.S. They found that people with widespread long-lasting pain had a much higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to people with no pain or just short-term discomfort. The more areas of pain a person had, the higher their risk.
Dr. Jill Pell from the University of Glasgow led the study. She explained that chronic pain often leads to depression, and depression can raise blood pressure. So treating depression in people with pain might also lower their risk for hypertension.
High blood pressure happens when blood pushes too hard against the walls of the arteries. It raises the chances of heart attacks, strokes, and other health problems. Almost half of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure.
Chronic musculoskeletal pain—pain in areas like the back, knees, hips, or shoulders that lasts at least three months—is common. The researchers wanted to know how this type of long-term pain affects blood pressure years later.
To gather their data, the study participants answered questions about their pain, including where it was and how long it had lasted. They also answered questions about their mental health. Blood tests were used to check inflammation levels in the body.
After following participants for over 13 years, the researchers found:
Almost 10% developed high blood pressure.
Those with widespread chronic pain had a 75% higher risk.
People with short-term pain had a 10% higher risk, and those with chronic pain in just one area had a 20% higher risk.
Depression and inflammation helped explain part of the connection between pain and high blood pressure.
Dr. Pell said healthcare workers should watch for signs of high blood pressure in people with pain and treat depression early. This could help prevent serious heart problems later.
Dr. Daniel Jones, a heart expert not involved in the study, added that while pain is known to raise blood pressure short-term, this study shows a longer-term link. He also warned that some common painkillers, like ibuprofen, can raise blood pressure and should be used carefully in people at risk.
There were some limitations in the study. Most participants were white adults from the UK, so the results might not apply to younger people or other racial groups. Pain was self-reported, and blood pressure was only measured twice.
The study used data from the UK Biobank, a large project that followed more than 500,000 adults. For this analysis, the focus was on over 206,000 adults with an average age of 54. About 62% were women, and nearly all were white.
The study found that people with pain often had less healthy habits, higher body weight, more chronic illnesses, and lived in areas with fewer resources. The researchers adjusted their results to account for these and other factors like smoking, sleep, exercise, and diet.
In summary, this study adds strong evidence that long-lasting pain may increase the risk of high blood pressure, especially when depression is also present. Doctors and patients should be aware of this connection to improve long-term health outcomes.
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The study is published in Hypertension.
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