Both the location and extent of the pain, along with suffering from depression, play an important role in this risk.
In the study, researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, which includes more than 500,000 adults. Data from 206,963 adults were analyzed, with a follow-up period of 13.5 years. The study focused on determining whether participants suffered from chronic pain and its impact on blood pressure, as well as measuring their levels of depression and inflammation.
It was found that people who reported suffering from chronic pain throughout their bodies were more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those who did not suffer from pain or who suffered from short-term or limited pain in certain areas of the body.
About 10% of the participants developed high blood pressure.
People with chronic pain in multiple areas of the body were 75% more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Chronic pain in certain areas such as the abdomen, neck, and back has been linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure ranging from 16% to 43%.
Depression and inflammation were found to play a major role in this relationship, with these factors accounting for 11.7% of the link between chronic pain and high blood pressure.
Dr. Jill Bell, lead researcher on the study and professor of public health at the University of Glasgow, said: "The wider the range of chronic pain, the greater the risk of developing high blood pressure."
She added: "The reason for this is that chronic pain can lead to depression, which in turn increases the likelihood of developing high blood pressure. Hence, early detection and treatment of depression may help reduce this risk."
Dr. Daniel W. Jones, a professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi, explained that although doctors know that pain can temporarily raise blood pressure, this study enhances our understanding of how chronic pain affects blood pressure in the long term.
They called for further studies to determine how different treatments affect chronic pain and blood pressure. They recommended that particular attention be paid to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, which can also lead to high blood pressure.
At the same time, the researchers pointed out that this study mostly included white adults in the UK, which may not reflect the effects of chronic pain on other ethnic or cultural groups. It also relied on self-reported pain, which could affect the accuracy of the findings.
The results were published in the journal Hypertension.