What This Means
This research suggests that older men who experience continuous back pain lasting more than one year face a substantially higher risk of developing serious cardiovascular problems—including heart disease, stroke, or cardiovascular death—compared to those without such chronic pain. Using data from a long-term Swedish study of over 1,000 men with an average age of 71, researchers found that this risk was more than 70% higher even after accounting for a wide range of known heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, kidney function, obesity, smoking, and physical activity levels. The study followed participants for up to 20 years, during which roughly half developed a cardiovascular event.
This research matters because chronic back pain is one of the most common and disabling conditions worldwide, yet it has not traditionally been considered a cardiovascular risk factor in clinical practice. While some earlier research had hinted at a link between chronic pain and cardiovascular mortality in elderly women, this study provides evidence that the same relationship exists in elderly men. The biological mechanisms are not fully established, but chronic pain is known to cause persistent stress responses, inflammation, disrupted sleep, and reduced physical activity, all of which could contribute to cardiovascular damage over time.
The authors suggest that healthcare providers may want to consider chronic back pain as a marker of elevated cardiovascular risk, particularly in older male patients. This research implies that managing chronic pain in elderly individuals may have benefits that extend beyond pain relief itself, and that clinical guidelines for cardiovascular risk assessment might benefit from incorporating chronic pain status as a relevant factor.