Association Between Chronic Neck Pain and Increased Risk of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese Adults: A Cohort Study Based on CHARLS.

Background: Chronic neck pain (CNP) and chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) have been shown to be associated, though such findings remain inconclusive. Objective: This study aims to investigate the association between CNP and CRD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese populations using nationally representative longitudinal data. Methods: This study utilized 7-year longitudinal data (2011-2018) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The study population comprised respondents who reported chronic neck pain (CNP) without comorbid chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) in the 2011 survey. Pain sites were assessed via self-reported questionnaires, and CRDs were confirmed based on self-reported prior diagnoses. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the association between CNP and CRDs. Results: A total of 6864 participants were included, with 650 developing CRD during the follow-up. After adjusting for confounding factors such as gender, age, and other chronic diseases, CNP was significantly associated with incident CRD (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.77-2.86, P < 0.0001). Gender-stratified analyses revealed that the positive association between CNP and CRD risk remained significant in both males (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.11-4.48, P < 0.0001) and females (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.37-2.57, P < 0.0001), with a stronger magnitude observed in males. Conclusion: Among Chinese CNP patients aged ≥45 years, the risk of developing CRD is increased by 2.25-fold, with evident gender differences. In clinical and community practice, conducting respiratory health assessment and screening for middle-aged and elderly patients with CNP (chronic neck pain), and initiating rehabilitation training as early as possible, is of vital importance for reducing their risk of developing chronic respiratory diseases.