Do you age faster if you have chronic pain?

Chronic pain is associated with a faster ageing process, but the pain itself is probably not the only cause. Persistent pain has been linked to a higher risk of premature death and accelerated cognitive decline in older adults. Whether pain causes this directly, or whether underlying disease processes play a role in both the pain and the ageing, has not yet been clarified.

The clearest mechanism runs through physical movement. Chronic pain discourages physical activity, and inactivity is one of the strongest drivers of biological ageing. People who move less because of pain age physiologically faster. This relationship is reasonably well supported and likely explains a large part of the effect.

The medications prescribed for chronic pain can also have adverse consequences. Commonly used painkillers in older adults increase the risk of falls, temporary memory problems, constipation and urinary problems. These side effects are themselves harmful to long-term health.

Research is being conducted into whether certain compounds can reduce pain and inflammation and thereby indirectly slow ageing, but that research remains exclusively at the laboratory stage. There is no clinical evidence that anything of the kind works in humans.