-1730888646.jpg "Kidney donation while alive: “It was an act of love that I did for my sister”")
Today is World Pain Day, which the World Health Organization has traditionally associated with. “Pain treatment and palliative care are an integral part of the right to enjoy good health”, recalls the WHO on this occasion.
To illustrate this day, the Sanofi laboratory conducted a study to understand and assess the impact of pain on the daily lives of French people. A study placed under the gaze of Prof. Alain Serrie, head of the pain medicine department at the Lariboisière Hospital (Paris).
The French are in pain
This study shows that pain is part of everyday life for the French: 92% of those questioned have suffered at least from short-term or persistent pain in the past 12 months. “These figures of 92% and 52% may seem high, but they include short-term pain (acute pain) and persistent pain (chronic pain)” comments Professor Alain Serrie.
Among the people who said they were in pain at the time of this survey, 68% had felt this pain for more than a year. A proportion that increases with age since this rate rises to 79% among 50-60 year olds.
The youngest wait for it to pass
Facing the pain, we have three fairly recurrent attitudes: either we consult a doctor, or we take a drug on our own initiative, or we wait for the pain to go away on its own. These behaviors vary mainly according to our age group: 18-24 year olds tend to wait for the pain to pass while 50-60 year olds do not hesitate to go for a consultation.
“These attitudes are due to the different types of pain felt: in fact the youngest, most often having acute pain, consult less and prefer to wait for these pains to subside on their own. On the contrary, the older subjects , present more chronic pain and have more recourse to a consultation “declares Professor Alain Serrie.
Pain is not a taboo
83% of people questioned for this study admit that they do not hesitate to talk about their pain to those around them, especially since the pain is persistent.
They recognize that when they suffer, it affects their morale (56% for persistent pain and 36% for short-term pain) as well as their ability to work (42% and 25%) and life. family (41% and 24%).
For 6 in 10 people, pain relief had a truly positive impact on their quality of life.
“These figures confirm the socio-economic repercussions of pain, particularly on work. They confirm the importance of management adapted to the type of pain. On the one hand, acute pain, which is a warning signal for many pathologies and for which the treatment of the cause will treat the pain. On the other hand, chronic pain which must not be treated only by taking a drug “concludes Professor Serrie.
