Korean J Pain.  2022 Oct;35(4):458-467. 10.3344/kjp.2022.35.4.458.

Associations of unspecified pain, idiopathic pain and COVID-19 in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study

• Kim N
• Kim J
• Yang BR
• Hahm BJ

• KMID: 2533986
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2022.35.4.458

Abstract

Background
Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis.
Methods
A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records. The control group consisted of those who had not had tests for COVID-19 at all. Unspecified pain diagnoses consisted of diagnoses related to pain included in the ICD-10 Chapter XVIII. Idiopathic pain disorders included fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorders, headaches, chronic prostatitis, complex regional pain syndrome, atypical facial pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis.
Results
After matching, the number of participants in each group was 7,911. For most unspecified pain, the incidences were higher in the COVID-19 group (11.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0–12.5) than in the control group (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.0–7.1). For idiopathic pain, only the headaches had a significantly higher in-cidence in the COVID-19 group (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.1–7.2) than in the control group (3.7%; 95% CI, 3.3–4.1). However, using a different control group that included only patients who visited a hospital at least once for any reasons, the incidences of most unspecified and idiopathic pain were higher in the control group than in the COVID-19 group.
Conclusions
Patients with COVID-19 might be at a higher risk of experiencing unspecified pain in the acute phase or after recovery compared with individuals who had not had tests for COVID-19.

Keyword

COVID-19; Electronic Health Records; Epidemiologic Studies; Headache; Insurance Claim Review; Pain; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-Infectious Disorders; Propensity Score

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