Abstract: Objective To investigate the characteristics and trends of chronic pain among Chinese elderly people in recent decades. Methods The nationwide survey data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2008 to 2015 was applied to analyze the general situation and risk factors of chronic pain, and to describe the treatment and recognition of pain among the elderly patients in recent years. Results A total of 27 859 elderly participants were investigated on pain condition in CHARLS, and 35.71% of them suffered from chronic pain. The factors affecting chronic pain included age, gender, education, living area, disability, some chronic diseases, occupation and economic level. Chronic pain located mostly in waist, accounting for 13.09% of body pain. From 2013 to 2015, the prevalence of taking traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine, acupuncture, and professional massage therapy all increased. Patients’ recognition on pain became diversified. Conclusions There are 35.71% of Chinese elderly people suffering from chronic pain. Female, rural residential, and low-education people have a higher risk of chronic pain. In recent years, more patients received analgesic treatment, indicating gradual awareness of pain among the elderly in China.

Key words: chronic pain, aged, trends, influencing factor, analgesic treatment