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. 2025 Jul 15.
doi: 10.1007/s00540-025-03546-2. Online ahead of print.

Association between body mass index and pain outcomes in elderly patients with chronic pain: A retrospective cohort study

Tamaki Aihara  1   2 , Yusuke Nagamine  3 , Masaki Kitahara  4 , Takahisa Goto  3
Affiliations

Association between body mass index and pain outcomes in elderly patients with chronic pain: A retrospective cohort study

Tamaki Aihara et al. J Anesth. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and changes in pain scores among elderly patients with chronic pain. The pain disability assessment scale (PDAS) and the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) were employed as assessment tools.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university hospital multidisciplinary pain center from 2017 to 2020, involving 180 patients aged ≥ 65 years with noncancer pain persisting for at least 3 months. Patients were classified into three groups according to BMI: low (BMI < 18.5), standard (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25), and high (BMI ≥ 25). Initial, 3-month, and 6-month PDAS and PCS scores were collected and analyzed using mixed-effects models.

Results: No significant differences were observed in PDAS scores across BMI groups. However, PCS scores were significantly higher in the low BMI group. Furthermore, no significant differences were detected in PDAS and PCS scores based on the interaction between BMI group and time point (month).

Conclusion: Among elderly patients with chronic pain, the low BMI group exhibited a significantly higher PCS score, while PDAS scores did not vary based on the BMI group. No differences were detected in treatment-related changes over time across BMI groups.

Keywords: Body mass index; Chronic pain; Elderly patient; Pain catastrophizing scale; Pain disability assessment scale.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Consent for publication: Not applicable.

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