What are common causes of pain near the end of life?
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Dr. Audrey Chun of The Mount Sinai Medical Center answered:Arthritis was the single biggest predictor of pain: 60% of people with the disease reported troubling pain in the last month of life compared with 26% of those without arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, if arthritis prevalence rates remain stable, more than 41 million people will develop the disease by 2030, potentially resulting in more older adults suffering end-of-life pain.
Terminal illnesses included cancer, sudden death, heart disease and frailty (classified as living in a nursing home, recent hip fracture, and/or memory impairment). There was no relationship between the type of terminal illness and the amount of pain reported.
According to the National Pain Foundation, up to 80% of older adults report pain that is typically related to degenerative diseases like arthritis, but pain also may occur with cancer, circulatory problems and the nerve damage that can accompany diabetes, kidney, liver or thyroid disorders and shingles.Arthritis was the single biggest predictor of pain: 60% of people with the disease reported troubling pain in the last month of life compared with 26% of those without arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, if arthritis prevalence... More -
Katie Ortlip answered:Most people think of pain when they think of dying. Yet not all dying people have pain. People dying of lung and heart disease, and old age, for example, may have some trouble breathing, but minimal pain. These symptoms can often times be relieved with small amounts of medication. Often, old conditions, such as arthritis, general achiness and bedsores from inactivity, and infections, cause discomfort. But, again, these can be addressed with small amounts of pain relievers, and other measures, such as massage and changing position regularly. Now, some people with advanced cancer have the potential for a lot of pain, from tumors pressing on organs and nerves, but there are many ways to control pain now, including morphine pumps. There is no excuse for someone to suffer from pain at the end of life. Getting hospice involved is one way to make sure of this!
Most people think of pain when they think of dying. Yet not all dying people have pain. People dying of lung and heart disease, and old age, for example, may have some trouble breathing, but minimal pain. These symptoms can often times be relieved... More
