Table 1.
Characteristics of Veterans with Incident Chronic Pain in the Veterans Health Administration, 2010–2015 (N = 1,094,569)
| Characteristic | Total |
|---|---|
| Male sex, N (%) | 982,548 (90%) |
| Race*, N (%) | |
| White | 759,323 (74%) |
| Black | 235,872 (24%) |
| Other race | 36,816 (3%) |
| Missing | 73,365 (7%) |
| Hispanic ethnicity, N (%) | 77,762 (7%) |
| Age, N (%) | |
| < 30 | 111,444 (10%) |
| 30–60 | 479,092 (44%) |
| > 60 | 504,033 (46%) |
| Urban residence, N (%) | 732,755 (67%) |
| Pain diagnoses, N (%) | |
| Back pain | 310,405 (28%) |
| Neck/other joint pain | 398,359 (36%) |
| Neuropathic pain | 36,252 (3%) |
| Migraine | 58,225 (5%) |
| Fibromyalgia | 10,072 (1%) |
| Mental health diagnoses, N (%) | |
| Depression | 208,051 (19%) |
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | 151,548 (14%) |
| Anxiety | 116,159 (11%) |
| Bipolar disorder | 27,604 (3%) |
| Substance use disorder diagnoses, N (%) | |
| Alcohol use disorder | 98,551 (9%) |
| Opioid use disorder | 17,802 (2%) |
| Other substance use disorder | 62,552 (6%) |
| Charlson’s comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 0.63 (1.43) |
SD standard deviation
*Race categories not mutually exclusive