ArticleSchmerz (Berlin, Germany)2013
[Prevalence of chronic pain in Germany. A representative survey of the general population].
Article in Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02747758 (Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Evaluating Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Evaluating Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Chronic Pain Patients With Neuropathy
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Mindful Walking in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2022Trial
- An Internet-Based Intervention for Chronic Pain.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2017Trial
- [The implementation of an adaptive multimodal interdisciplinary pain therapy exemplified by a medical care center (MVZ) structure in Dresden].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Review
- Assessment of depression and pain in the general population: a scoping review.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- [When nothing helps anymore outside: interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Article
- [Opioid prescriptions for insured individuals without cancer in Germany: data from the BARMER].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2025Article
- Chronic Pain Prevalence and Psychosocial Burden in the Italian Population from the 2019 European Health Interview Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- [Cyberful-Virtual reality in arm and hand rehabilitation].Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Pain intensity and comorbid depressive symptoms in the general population: An analysis of the German Health Update Study (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS).European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- Article
- Traumatic Events, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Central Sensitization in Chronic Pain Patients of a German University Outpatient Pain Clinic.Psychosomatic medicine · 2023Article
- Chronic pain as a blind spot in the diagnosis of a depressed society. On the implications of the connection between depression and chronic pain for interpretations of contemporary society.Medicine, health care, and philosophy · 2022Article
- Predictors of Psychological Distress in Women with Endometriosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Osteopathic Medicine in Four Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Diseases: An Observational Trial with Follow-Up.Complementary medicine research · 2022Observational
- [Older care receivers with chronic pain : Cross-sectional study of gender-specific pain intensity and home-care provision in the city environment].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Article
- [Prevention of chronic pain in the German healthcare system : Current state and perspective].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Review
- Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere are no up to date data from representative samples of the general German population on the prevalence of debilitating pain and of pain diseases available.
methodsA cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the German general population including persons ≥ 14 years of age was conducted in 2012 based on face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaires. Chronic pain was assessed by the widespread pain index (WPI), disability by the subscales physical functioning and role function of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30) and psychological distress by the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-4). Chronic pain with associated physical and social impairments was defined by at least one pain site over 3 months in the WPI and at least one response of a moderate or severe impairment in both subscales of the EORTC 30 QLQ-C30. Chronic pain with associated physical, mental and social impairment (pain disease) required in addition a probable depressive and/or anxiety disorder in the PHQ-4.
resultsA total of 2,515 out of 4,480 (56.1 %) of contacted persons finished the study of which 32.9 % reported chronic pain, 5.4 % reported chronic pain with associated physical and social impairments and 2.3 % associated physical, mental and social impairments. No participants with local pain (only one pain site) but 24.0 % of participants with widespread pain (6-19 pain sites) met the criteria of a pain disease.
conclusionsThe reports of chronic pain in epidemiological studies do not necessarily imply a suffering (physical, psychological and social impairment) from pain.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.