Health Anxiety in People living with Chronic pain: Prevalence, Risk & Key Differences
| Key things to know | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| How common is it? | Not established clean HA prevalence |
| Is it more common among people living with chronic pain? | Pain produces repeated bodily signals that can reinforce catastrophic interpretation |
| Are people living with chronic pain at higher risk? | #N/A |
| How much higher is the risk? | Not established universal estimate |
| How often can it be missed? | #N/A |
| Does it show up differently among people living with chronic pain? | Very Strong Yes |
| How might it look different? | Normal pain fluctuations become interpreted as damage/cancer/neurological deterioration; repeated scanning, checking and reassurance may maintain anxiety |
| What commonly occurs alongside it? | #N/A |
| What can it be confused with? | Actual worsening of pain condition; SSD; panic; IAD |
| Common screening tool | SHAI — Short Health Anxiety Inventory |
| Separate screening tool for people living with chronic pain | None established |
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