Chronic Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: Prevalence, Sex Differences, Regional Anatomy, and Multiple Comorbidities

Chronic pain (pain on most days or daily for ≥3 months) is prevalent among people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). We analysed data from 10,631 Australian individuals with PD to assess the prevalence, severity, anatomical distribution, clinical history, and associated factors. Two-thirds (66.2%) reported chronic pain, with females experiencing higher prevalence (70.8%) and severity (4.7 vs. 4.3 on a 10-point scale). Common pain sites included the buttocks (35.6%), lower back (25.4%), neck (19.4%), and knees (17.2%). Chronic pain was strongly linked to comorbid depression, sleep disorders, and osteoarthritis (p < 0.05). Environmental exposures such as pesticides, heavy metals, and alcohol were associated with higher pain prevalence, especially in males (p < 0.05). These findings emphasise the substantial burden of chronic pain in PD, highlighting sex differences and strong links to multimorbidity. Further research is warranted to clarify sex-specific treatments and identify novel therapeutic targets.