Accumulation of long-term diseases is associated with musculoskeletal pain dimensions among middle-aged individuals with musculoskeletal pain.

This study on middle-aged individuals with musculoskeletal pain showed that the presence of long-term diseases was clearly associated with pain frequency, bothersomeness of pain, pain intensity and number of pain sites. Compared with no long-term diseases, the association between accumulated (two or more) long-term diseases and pain dimensions was stronger than the association between one long-term disease and pain dimensions.