Chronic Pain Prevalence, Characteristics, and Impact in United States Adults With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Abstract

Purpose To determine the prevalence of chronic pain, describe characteristics of chronic pain, and examine the impact of chronic pain on quality-of-life in United States adults with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Design Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey. Methods Survey weights and variance estimation variables were employed. Pain duration over the past 3 months was used to determine whether individuals with CFS/ME were experiencing chronic pain. Rao-Scott chi-square test examined group-based differences between those with CFS/ME and chronic pain to those with chronic pain without CFS/ME across pain characteristics (intensity, location, limitations) and three quality-of-life domains (psychological health, general health, life satisfaction). Results The proportion of United States adults who reported having CFS/ME was 1.4% (weighted). Of those with CFS/ME, 70.7% (weighted) met study criteria for chronic pain. Pain was common across multiple body locations among those with comorbid CFS/ME and chronic pain, and impacted multiple domains of functioning, including life/work activities and family relationships. Relative to those with chronic pain without CFS/ME, individuals with CFS/ME and chronic pain were significantly more likely to have positive results on depression and anxiety screeners, and report fair/poor general health and life dissatisfaction ( p s