SynthesisBMC geriatrics2015
Association between pain, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and physical function in dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 34 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of prevalence of pain among people with dementia living in the community.BMC neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Algorithm-based pain management for people with dementia in nursing homes.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Pain-Reducing Effects of Physical Therapist-Delivered Interventions: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials Among Older Adults With Dementia.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Pooled it
- The Interactive Relationship between Pain, Psychosis, and Agitation in People with Dementia: Results from a Cluster-Randomised Clinical Trial.Behavioural neurology · 2016Trial
- Exercise-Based Pain Interventions for People with Dementia Using a Biopsychosocial-Environmental (BPSE) Model.Current geriatrics reports · 2025Review
- Article
- Factors associated with eating performance in nursing home residents living with dementia and other comorbidities.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Efficacy of Home-Based Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Managing Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.Integrative and complementary therapies · 2024Article
- Multimodal Biomedical Signal Acquisition Setup to Assess Chronic Pain in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease.Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2024Article
- Self-Reported Pain and Pain Observations in People with Korsakoff's Syndrome: A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The association of physical activity and behavioral and psychological symptoms among a sample of hospitalized older adults living with dementia.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2023Article
- Case Report and Literature Review of an Atypical Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Its Management.International medical case reports journal · 2023Article
- Effects of Reminiscence Therapy on Cognition, Depression and Quality of Life in Elderly People with Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Prevalence and Predictors of Symptoms in Persons with Advanced Dementia Living in the Community.Journal of palliative medicine · 2022Article
- Are nurse`s needs assessment methods robust enough to recognise palliative care needs in people with dementia? A scoping review.BMC nursing · 2022Article
- Understanding Pain and Agitation Through System Analysis Algorithms in People With Dementia. A Novel Explorative Approach by the DIGI.PAIN Study.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Rehabilitation in Dementia.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2021Article
- Quality of opioid prescribing in older adults with or without Alzheimer disease and related dementia.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2021Article
- [Pain in dementia].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Review
- Trajectories of physical performance in nursing home residents with dementia.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPain, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and functional impairment are prevalent in patients with dementia and pain is hypothesized to be causal in both neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and functional impairment. As the exact nature of the associations is unknown, this review examines the strength of associations between pain and NPS, and pain and physical function in patients with dementia. Special attention is paid to the description of measurement instruments and the methods used to detect pain, NPS and physical function.
methodsA systematic search was made in the databases of PubMed (Medline), Embase, Cochrane, Cinahl, PsychINFO, and Web of Science. Studies were included that described associations between pain and NPS and/or physical function in patients with moderate to severe dementia.
resultsThe search yielded 22 articles describing 18 studies, including two longitudinal studies. Most evidence was found for the association between pain and depression, followed by the association between pain and agitation/aggression. The longitudinal studies reported no direct effects between pain and NPS but some indirect effects, e.g. pain through depression. Although some association was established between pain and NPS, and pain and physical function, the strength of associations was relatively weak. Interestingly, only three studies used an observer rating scale for pain-related behaviour.
conclusionsAvailable evidence does not support strong associations between pain, NPS and physical function. This might be due to inadequate use or lack of rating scales to detect pain-related behaviour. These results show that the relationship between pain and NPS, as well as with physical function, is complicated and warrants additional longitudinal evaluation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.