Biomedical subjects

George Peat

Publications and source records attributed to George Peat.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

The prevalence of pain and pain interference in a general population of older adults: cross-sectional findings from the North Staffordshire Osteoarthritis Project (NorStOP).

Although pain is experienced at all ages, there is uncertainty about the pattern of its occurrence in older people. We have investigated the prevalence of three aspects of self-reported pain-occurrence of any recent pain, number and location of pain sites, and interference with daily life-to determine their association with age in older people. A cross-sectional postal survey of all adults aged 50 years and over registered with three general practices (n = 11230) in North Staffordshire using self-complete questionnaires was conducted. Respondents' gender, age, employment status, socio-economic classification, and general health status were gathered to characterise the population under study. The location of any recent pain (past 4 weeks) was recorded on a full-body manikin and pain interference was based on a single question. Completed questionnaires were received from 7878 respondents (adjusted response of 71.3%). The 4-week prevalence of any pain was 72.4%; similar across 10-year age-groups, and higher in females than males. In those with pain the median number of painful areas (from 44) was 6, and 12.5% of the responding population were classified as having widespread pain, both figures similar across age-groups. Most regional pains showed a decline in prevalence in the older age-groups, the exceptions being the lower limb regions (hip, knee, foot). Pain that interfered with daily activities was reported by 3002 (38.1%) respondents overall. There was a clear age-related rise in this prevalence with age up to and including the oldest group. Within each regional pain subgroup, the proportion of people who also reported pain interference rose with age. Our study has provided evidence that increasing age in the elderly population is not associated with any change in the overall prevalence of pain, although, as previous studies have suggested, the pattern of pain prevalence in different body regions does change with age. More importantly the extent to which pain interferes with everyday life increases incrementally with age up to the oldest age-group in the community-dwelling general population.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Social networks and pain interference with daily activities in middle and old age.

Social networks have emerged as important in the development and progression of disability in aging cohorts. We have previously reported that pain that interferes with daily activities is common and increases incrementally from middle age into later life. The current study has investigated whether pain interference in this age group is related to social network characteristics. 5215 community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over participating in the North Staffordshire Osteoarthritis Project (NorStOP) and identified as currently experiencing pain formed the sample for the present analysis. Questions on pain-related interference and the number and frequency of contact with children, close relatives, close friends, and confidant were included in the baseline postal questionnaire. The number and frequency of contact for most social ties declined with age. Being widowed (Age-adjusted OR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.10, 1.54), the absence of close friends (2.07; 1.64, 2.63), and the absence of close relatives for women (2.24; 1.66, 3.04) were associated with increased likelihood of pain interference with daily activities. The absence of children was linked to lower levels of pain interference (0.76; 0.64, 0.91). The associations with close friends and children were reduced but remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. The association with close friends became non-significant after adjusting for depression suggesting this may form part of the pathway linking close friends networks and pain interference. Pain-related interference shows similar associations with social networks as all-cause disability and may benefit similarly from a public health perspective.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

How reliable is structured clinical history-taking in older adults with knee problems? Inter- and intraobserver variability of the KNE-SCI.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical history and examination remain the cornerstones of diagnosis, prognosis, estimates of severity, and treatment selection in primary care for older adults presenting with knee pain. In this study we investigated the extent and cause of inter- and intraobserver variability of the clinical history using a structured, quantitative, clinical interview (KNE-SCI). METHODS: 58 patients aged 50 years and over with current knee pain were independently interviewed by two trained observers and again by one of these observers a month later. RESULTS: Interobserver and intraobserver variability were found to be generally low [median agreement beyond chance (kappa)=0.71 (range: -0.03-1.00) and 0.58 (range: -0.03-1.00), respectively]. However, 9 of the 57 items demonstrated high inter- and intraobserver variability: notably subjective reports of swelling and specific aspects of pain experience and functional limitation. CONCLUSION: Structured interview can reliably quantify certain clinically relevant aspects of the clinical history in older adults with knee pain, including those felt to be indicative of osteoarthritis. Its usefulness requires further investigation.

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