Study Finds That Widespread Pain Increases Risk of Stroke, Dementia
A new study has found that widespread pain in the body caused by chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia increases an individual’s risk of dementia and stroke. For their study, the researchers analyzed health data for more than 2,000 second-generation participants in the Framingham Heart Study. Offspring-phase participants who enrolled for the study in the 1990s underwent an extensive checkup that included a detailed pain assessment, laboratory tests and a physical exam. After this initial assessment, they underwent re-examination every four years for signs of stroke, dementia or cognitive decline. The researchers found that since their initial checkups, 139 of…