Abstract 223: Chronic pain prevalence and severity associated with stroke survivorship

Introduction/Purpose Stroke survivors experience multiple long‐term consequences that significantly impair their quality of life, including chronic pain in some patients. Excess prevalence, severity, and impact of chronic pain among stroke survivors is unknown, as prior studies have lacked comparator groups without a history of stroke. We used nationally representative data to compare the burden of chronic pain according to history of stroke survivorship in a nationally‐representative survey of US adults. Materials/Methods This study analyzed deidentified data from adult respondents in the 2019‐ 2021 and 2023 rounds of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a cross‐sectional interview survey conducted by the CDC. The primary outcome was prevalence of chronic pain, defined as pain persisting or recurring over the 3 months before the interview. The primary exposure was lifetime experience of a stroke. Secondary outcomes evaluated among respondents with chronic pain included severity (1‐3 scale), impact on work (1‐4 scale), and impact on family life (1‐4 scale), with higher scale items indicating greater severity or impact. Results Based on an analytic sample included 105,329 adults, we estimated 3% had experienced a stroke and 22% were experiencing chronic pain (including 48% of stroke survivors). On adjusted binomial logistic regression, stroke survivorship was associated with higher odds of reporting chronic pain (odds ratio [OR]=1.63, p<0.001). On adjusted ordinal logistic regression, stroke survivorship was also associated with more severe pain, (OR=1.51, p<0.001), greater pain impact on life and work (OR=1.93, p<0.001), and greater pain impact on family life (OR=1.86, p<0.001). Conclusion Stroke survivorship is independently associated with a higher prevalence and greater severity of chronic pain compared to the general population. High prevalence of chronic pain among stroke survivors suggests the need for further research on how different types of strokes (not limited to lacunar or thalamic) may result in poststroke chronic pain. These findings emphasize the need for targeted intervention and increased attention to managing chronic pain among stroke survivors.