The Economic and Disease Burden of Chronic Pain in Rural Ghana

We surveyed over 600 individuals from the rural Ashanti region of Ghana to assess incidence of chronic pain as well as the impact that this pain has on daily life, including ability to work. We found that 61% of community members ages 18-100 reported some degree of daily chronic pain and that severity of pain directly impacted their ability to work productively. We found that back pain is the leading cause of chronic pain in these communities, but that causes of pain related to pelvic problems produced the highest degree of reported daily pain.