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The following is a summary of “Impact of Pain on Everyday Activities of People With Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders or Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome,” published in the February 2025 issue of European Journal of Pain by Lindholm et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore how pain impacted daily life and examined the relationship between chronic pain and activity limitations in individuals with hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) or hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS).  

They used data from 2016 to 2021 from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP) to compare individuals with HSD or hEDS with a reference group (RG) consisting of individuals with mixed chronic pain conditions.  

The results showed that out of 43,801 individuals in the SQRP, 1,211 (2.8%) were diagnosed with HSD or hEDS, with 88.9% being women. The mean age was lower in the HSD/hEDS group (36.3 ± 11.8 years) compared to the RG (45.7 ± 12.8 years). Pain onset occurred significantly earlier (P < 0.001) in the HSD/hEDS group. Persistent pain was reported by 80.1% in the HSD/hEDS group and 74.2% in the RG. Pain locations were higher in the HSD/hEDS group (20.0 ± 7.9) than in the RG (14.8 ± 8.8). Difficulties with leisure, social, and household activities were more common in the HSD/hEDS group, though pain intensity was lower (P < 0.001) compared to the RG.  

Investigators concluded that pain appeared to affect daily activities in individuals with HSD/hEDS, particularly those with earlier pain onset, more pain locations, and more persistent pain, though pain intensity was not as decisive a factor compared to the RG. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.70000