Media Advisory / Interview Opportunity - New Canadian Chronic Pain Data -
Physicians and Sufferers Available for Comment

TORONTO, Dec. 15 /CNW/ - Today, Statistics Canada released a report on the prevalence of pain in Canadians aged 12 to 44 showing almost 9 per cent of males and 12 per cent of females in this demographic experience chronic pain.¹  The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) and the Canadian Pain Coalition (CPS) are active advocates for pain research and treatment and are currently working towards establishing a national pain strategy to address this growing health crisis.  Both the CPS and CPC applaud Statistics Canada for this important chronic pain research.

"Pain is misunderstood and undertreated.  Chronic pain can be a life-long struggle with critical implications to an individual and our society," says Dr. Mary Lynch, president of the Canadian Pain Society. "Chronic pain is among the most disabling and costly medical conditions in North America.  In order to address this issue a national pain strategy needs to be put in place to increase pain awareness, research and treatment options. Pain can affect anyone at anytime - today's Statistics Canada report highlights the prevalence of this disease and the need for an effective pain management strategy so Canadians do not needlessly suffer."

Pain also has a significant impact on children. It is estimated that 15-30 per cent of children suffer with chronic or recurring pain² which can impact all aspects of quality of life including school, psychosocial and physical functioning. Pain also affects a person's physical and mental well-being. A survey conducted in 2008 of 600 moderate to severe Canadian pain sufferers revealed that chronic pain patients report the lowest health-related quality of life when compared to others with chronic illnesses such as emphysema, kidney failure and heart disease.³

"One in five Canadians suffers from daily pain that is often unmanageable.  It is critical that we increase public awareness of pain education and treatment to ensure those who experience pain are receiving the care and quality of life they deserve," says Lynn Cooper, pain sufferer and president of the Canadian Pain Coalition (CPC).

Interview Opportunities
Provincial CPS and CPC members are available to comment on chronic and children's pain topics.

About the Canadian Pain Society:
The Canadian Pain Society has been a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain since 1982. The aim of the CPS is to foster and encourage research on pain mechanisms and pain syndromes and to help improve the management of patients with acute and chronic pain by bringing together the basic scientists and health professionals of various disciplines and backgrounds who have an interest in pain research and management.

About the Canadian Pain Coalition:
The Canadian Pain Coalition (CPC) is THE National Voice of People with Pain. Incorporated in 2004 as a non-profit organization, the CPC is a partnership of pain consumer groups, individuals, health professionals who care for people in pain and scientists studying better ways to treat pain. CPC promotes sustained improvement in the understanding, prevention, treatment and management of all types of pain in Canada. CPC accomplishes this through pain education, awareness activities and advocacy initiatives. CPC obtained the Senate Declaration of National Pain Awareness Week in 2004.

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¹ Chronic pain at ages 12 to 44.  Statistics Canada Health Reports, Vol. 21, no. 4. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/101215/dq101215b-eng.htm  
² Stanford, E. A., C. T. Chambers, et al. (2008). "The frequency, trajectories and predictors of adolescent recurrent pain: A population based approach." Pain 138: 11-21.
³ Nanos Research for the Canadian Pain Society (2008)

For further information:

or to schedule an interview:
Kristina Rikunova, Argyle Communications. 416-968-7311 [email protected]