### Chronic Pain vs. Common Diseases in the U.S. A recent study has shown that the risk of developing chronic pain is higher than the risk of developing some of the most common diseases in the U.S., such as diabetes, depression, or high blood pressure. Within a 1-year period, 6 out of 100 previously pain-free adults reported developing chronic pain, and 1 out of 100 developed pain so severe that it substantially restricted their lives. In comparison, each year in the U.S., 7 out of 1,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes, 16 out of 1,000 people are newly diagnosed with depression, and 45 out of 1,000 are newly diagnosed with high blood pressure. Chronic pain is defined as pain that occurs most days or every day and lasts for at least 3 months. More severe pain, known as high-impact chronic pain, results in substantial restrictions in life activities, including work, social interactions, and self-care. The study analyzed data from over 10,000 U.S. adults who did not live in institutions. Among the participants, 52% were women, 73% were white, and the median age was 49 years old. They were asked the same two questions in 2019 and again in 2020: “In the past 3 months, how often did you have pain?” and “Over the past 3 months, how often did pain limit your life or work activities?” At the start of the study, 40% reported no pain, 39% reported non-chronic pain, and 21% reported chronic pain. More than half of the people in each pain-level group maintained the same pain level one year later. Among those with non-chronic pain at the start of the study, 15% said their pain had progressed to chronic pain a year later, while 10% had fully recovered. Among people with chronic pain at the outset, 10% had fully recovered a year later. The risk of experiencing chronic pain after age 50 increases by 29%, and there was no gender difference in the risk of experiencing chronic pain. The researchers emphasized the high disease burden of chronic pain in the U.S. adult population and the need for both prevention and early management of pain before it can become chronic, especially for groups at higher risk.