Risk for Developing Hypertension Elevated for Individuals With Chronic Pain

FRIDAY, Nov. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People with chronic pain have an increased risk for developing hypertension, which is partially mediated by depression, according to a study published online Nov. 17 in Hypertension.

Pei Qin, Ph.D., from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a cohort study involving 206,963 U.K. Biobank participants to examine the associations between pain at baseline and incident hypertension. To estimate the percentage of the association mediated by inflammation, depression, and medications, a mediation analysis was conducted.

The researchers found that 9.62 percent of participants developed hypertension during a median follow-up of 13.5 years. Individuals with short-term pain, chronic localized pain, and chronic widespread pain had an increased risk for hypertension compared with those with no pain (hazard ratios, 1.10, 1.20, and 1.75, respectively). There was a dose-response relationship between the number of chronic pain sites and hypertension. Associations were seen for chronic headache, neck, back, abdominal, hip, and widespread pain with an increased risk for hypertension. Chronic musculoskeletal pain was also associated with an increased risk for hypertension. Overall, 11.7 percent of the association between chronic pain and hypertension was mediated by depression (11.3 percent) and inflammation (0.4 percent), as measured by C-reactive protein.

“When providing care for people with pain, health care workers need to be aware that they are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure, either directly or via depression. Recognizing pain could help detect and treat these additional conditions early,” lead author Jill P. Pell, M.D., from the University of Glasgow, said in a statement.

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