ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Chronic pain is a problem for the elderly, eliciting physical and psychological limitations. Few are the studies primarily focusing on evaluating pain in men. This study aimed at identifying the prevalence of chronic pain in male elderly people of a city of Northern Rio Grande do Sul.
METHODS:
Crossover, population-based study carried out with people aged 60 years or above, from the city of Coxilha, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Data were collected by home interviews with validated tool from June to July 2010. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis.
RESULTS:
Mean age was 68.7 years. Chronic pain prevalence was 43.7%, primarily located in lower limbs and lumbar spine.
CONCLUSION:
There has been high prevalence of chronic pain in the studied population. Results point to the need for intervention strategies to prevent and control pain in elderly males in different health care levels.
Keywords:
Chronic pain; Daily activities; Elderly; Epidemiology; Pain perception