Half of the population experience pain at least once a week, with more than 90 percent being accustomed to enduring it, a pharmacists’ association survey found.
Taipei Pharmacists’ Association spokesperson Wang Ming-yuan (王明媛) on Tuesday said the survey was conducted through online questionnaires and phone interviews in June and July.
Participants were divided into three age groups of 18 to 34, 35 to 54 and 55 to 70, with each group evenly divided between men and women, Wang said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jo, Taipei Times
Of the 1,099 respondents, 51.8 percent reported that they feel pain at least once a week, and more than 97.5 percent choose to bear pain when they feel it, the survey showed.
Wang said the survey results showed 35-to-54-year-olds are more sensitive to pain, whereas younger people are less likely to tell others about their pain.
The three most common types of reported pain were muscle aches, headaches and joint pain, Wang said.
Foreign studies have shown how chronic pain increasingly hurts more, making the central nervous system more sensitive, negatively affecting the respiratory system, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications, Wang said.
Delaying treatment is more likely to result in chronic pain, which might cause the pain to spread to other parts of the body, Wang added.
Surveys show young people often endure pain because of social pressure such as job progression, New Taipei City Pharmacists’ Association chairman Hsu Yu-shan (許有杉) said.
Middle-aged people with elderly parents and young children choose to endure pain, because they are worried about potential impacts to their financial situation.
Elderly people are more likely to view pain as part of aging, Hsu said.
Taipei Pharmacists’ Association chairman Yin Tai-chih (尹岱智) said there are many root causes for pain, and long working hours and high-pressure environments can aggravate these issues.
People should go to a hospital for major issues, clinics for minor illnesses, and pharmacies for minor symptoms, he said.
When mild symptoms appear, people should first ask a pharmacist for recommendations and take medication to relieve pain within an hour of onset, he said.
Then they should consult with a physician to find the root cause before the pain becomes a more challenging chronic issue, he said.
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