Racial and ethnic disparities in chronic pain following traumatic injury.

Dear Editor, Chronic pain affects approximately 50 million adults (20.5%) in the U.S. and places a significant health and economic burden on individuals [1]. Furthermore, studies point to a higher chronic pain burden among Black and Latino adults compared to non-Latino Whites [2, 3]. The reasons for these disparities are not well understood, but some potential explanations include differences in the prevalence of diseases or types of injuries that contribute to chronic pain or unequal access to or utilization of pain treatments, among others [3, 4]. Thus, interventions aimed to reduce chronic pain disparities warrant a clear understanding of the extent to which any observed differences by race/ethnicity are due to other underlying differences. Specifically, it is important to account for potential differences in a group’s predisposition to developing chronic pain (e.g., having pre-existing pain) or broader disparities in exposure to hazardous environments that increase one’s risk of developing chronic pain. For example, compared to Whites, Black and Latino individuals experience higher rates of firearm injuries [5], a form of violence that promotes other factors that can worsen perceived pain such as emotional trauma.