PAIN AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN COMMUNITY ELDERLY - RESULTS OF THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY IN AGING (IMIAS).
Elderly, pain, aging.
Introduction: Populational aging process affects the increase of disabling conditions prevalence for elderly. Chronic pain in elderly is considered a public health issue, causing a high demand for health services, and is associated with physical and functional disability. The prevalence of painful symptoms and mobility deficits varies in elderly populations from different social contexts. However, there are knowledge gaps about the factors involved in the association of pain with functionality in older adults. Objectives: to estimate the prevalence of painful symptoms in a population sample from countries with different aging profiles; and to identify factors associated with pain in relation to physical performance considering potential confounders. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study derived from the multicenter study The International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS), carried out in the cities of Saint-Hyacinthe (Quebec, Canada), Kingston (Ontario Canada), Manizales (Colombia), Tirana (Albania) and in Natal (Brazil). 2000 subjects aged 65 to 74 years of both sexes were analyzed, with socioeconomic, health and anthropometric measures. Physical performance was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and painful symptoms, by self-report of the presence of back or lower limbs pain. Results: men had a lower prevalence of pain when compared to women, with the lower limbs being more affected (p<0.001). In the assessment of physical performance, men had a better total SPPB score mean compared to women (p<0.001). Reports of pain and painful symptoms are associated with poor physical performance in the elderly of both sexes (p<0.001). The presence of depressive symptoms, body mass index, pain and worse socioeconomic conditions were associated with poor physical performance in women (p<0.001). Conclusion: Pain is a limiting factor for physical performance of the elderly population studied, even when adjusted by health and socioeconomic conditions. The results indicate the importance of prioritizing the evaluation of painful symptoms in elderly population, in order to create prevention and care strategies that can minimize the impact of pain on the functionality and quality of life of this population.