Is chronic non-spesific pain in adolescent girls related to early puberty?: Young-HUNT3 (2006-2008)
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to assess if there was a relationship between early menarche and chronic non-specific pain in adolescents aged 13-18. We used data from the Young-HUNT3 (2006-2008) study where all adolescents aged 13 to 18 years in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway, were invited to participate. A total of 4129 of the invited girls (81%)answered the questionnaire, and of these 3748 answered the pain questions and constituted the study population. The median age at menarche was 13,2 years. Early menarche (<12 years) was associated with higher prevalence of chronic non-specific pain compared to girls with normal or late menarche. The association persisted after adjusting for age, BMI, socioeconomic factors and anxiety and depression. A similar association was also found between girls that perceive themselves as earlier physically matured than their peers and chronic non-specific pain.