Chronic pain burden in people with Parkinson’s disease

By Melanie Hinze

People living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are nearly three times more likely to experience chronic pain compared with the general community, according to new Australian research published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

The study authors analysed questionnaire data on socioeconomic factors, PD-related variables and chronic pain characteristics from 10,631 individuals with PD (mean age at enrolment, 70.9 years) who were enrolled in the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study, an ongoing nationwide cohort. They defined chronic pain as pain persisting for more than three months and occurring most days, or daily.

Two-thirds (66.2%) of study participants reported chronic pain, with women reporting a higher prevalence (70.8% vs 63.5%, respectively) and severity (4.7 on a 10-point scale vs 4.3, respectively) than men. The most common pain sites were the buttocks (35.6%), lower back (25.4%), neck (19.4%) and knees (17.2%).

The presence of chronic pain was strongly linked to depression, sleep disorders and osteoarthritis. Furthermore, environmental exposures such as pesticides, heavy metals and alcohol use were associated with a higher pain prevalence, especially in men.

Associate Professor Miguel Renteria, Group Leader of QIMR Berghofer’s Computational Neurogenomics Laboratory in Brisbane, and lead author of the paper, said, the key message for GPs was that chronic pain was an incredibly common, but often overlooked, component of PD.

‘Our study of more than 10,000 [people in Australia] with PD found that two-thirds experience chronic pain,’ he said. ‘This isn’t just a side issue; it’s a core part of the disease experience for most patients, and we found it to be more prevalent and severe in women.’

These findings, he said, strongly suggested that managing pain in PD required a holistic approach – something GPs are ideally placed to co-ordinate.

Furthermore, Professor Renteria told Medicine Today that patients might not raise these issues themselves, as they often do not connect their pain with their PD.

‘Our data showed that only 1.28% reported pain as their initial symptom, so asking specifically about common pain sites, such as the buttocks, lower back, neck and knees, can help start a crucial conversation.’

Ultimately, Professor Renteria said this research highlighted the urgent need to integrate pain management into routine PD care.

‘By addressing the interplay between pain, mental health and sleep, GPs can make a real difference in patients’ quality of life.’

Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2025; 0: 1-11; https://doi. org/10.1002/acn3.70174.