Associations of unspecified pain, idiopathic pain and COVID-19 in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study

• Published in: The Korean journal of pain Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 458 - 467
• Main Authors: Kim, Namwoo, Kim, Jeewuan, Yang, Bo Ram, Hahm, Bong-Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한통증학회 31.10.2022
• Subjects: COVID-19; Electronic Health Records; Epidemiologic Studies; Headache; Insurance Claim Review; Pain; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-Infectious Disorders; Propensity Score; COVID-19; Headache; Propensity Score; Epidemiologic Studies; Pain; Insurance Claim Review; Post-Infectious Disorders; Electronic Health Records; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
• ISSN: 2005-9159; 2093-0569

Background: Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods: A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records. The control group consisted of those who had not had tests for COVID-19 at all. Unspecified pain diagnoses consisted of diagnoses related to pain included in the ICD-10 Chapter XVIII. Idiopathic pain disorders included fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorders, headaches, chronic prostatitis, complex regional pain syndrome, atypical facial pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. Results: After matching, the number of participants in each group was 7,911. For most unspecified pain, the incidences were higher in the COVID-19 group (11.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0-12.5) than in the control group (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.0-7.1). For idiopathic pain, only the headaches had a significantly higher incidence in the COVID-19 group (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.1-7.2) than in the control group (3.7%; 95% CI, 3.3-4.1). However, using a different control group that included only patients who visited a hospital at least once for any reasons, the incidences of most unspecified and idiopathic pain were higher in the control group than in the COVID- 19 group. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 might be at a higher risk of experiencing unspecified pain in the acute phase or after recovery compared with individuals who had not had tests for COVID-19.