A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Global Burden of Chronic Pain Without Clear Etiology in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Trends in Heterogeneous Data and a Proposal for New Assessment Methods.

Abstract

The global burden of chronic pain is projected to be large and growing, in concert with the burden of noncommunicable diseases. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of chronic pain without clear etiology in general, elderly, and working populations of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).