Moderate To Severe Acute Pain - Epidemiology Forecast - 2034

Key Highlights

Acute pain usually lasts less than 7 days but often extends up to 30 days for some conditions; acute pain episodes may recur periodically. In some patients, acute pain persists and becomes chronic.

Pain is the most common reason for emergency department visits and is commonly encountered in primary care, other outpatient, and inpatient settings.

Moderate-to-severe acute pain is broadly categorized into postoperative and non-postoperative types. Postoperative acute pain occurs after surgical procedures and requires effective management to support recovery and reduce complications. Non-postoperative acute pain arises from conditions like trauma, injury, or acute illness and also demands timely relief to prevent progression to chronic pain.

Acute pain is an umbrella term, but the most common symptoms associated with acute pain include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, insomnia, anxiety, burning, etc.

The highest number of incident cases of moderate-to-severe acute pain was estimated in the United States, followed by Japan, Germany, France, and Italy in 2024.

In the United States, postoperative acute pain accounted for the highest number of cases in 2024, followed by Trauma pain and acute medical illness.

DelveInsight’s “Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain – Epidemiology Forecast – 2034” report delivers an in-depth understanding of Moderate-to-severe acute pain, historical and forecasted epidemiology in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain: Disease Understanding

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain Overview and Diagnosis

Pain is a sensory response to tissue damage or dysfunction and can be acute or chronic. Acute pain appears suddenly—often due to injury, surgery, or infection—and usually resolves within three months. Its perception varies widely between individuals, influenced by differences in nerve signaling and brain processing. Acute pain ranges from mild, self-limiting conditions like headaches or muscle strains to severe trauma requiring hospitalization and surgical intervention. Treatment depends on severity, from over-the-counter analgesics and rest to stronger medications like opioids for intense pain. Elective procedures also cause varying pain levels. Minor interventions typically require only local anesthetics or cold therapy. Moderate procedures such as dental or laparoscopic surgeries may involve short-term opioid use, while major surgeries like joint replacements demand multimodal pain management. Pain can present as stabbing, dull, aching, throbbing, or tingling and can disrupt sleep, appetite, and emotional well-being. If unaddressed, acute pain may lead to psychological effects or medication dependence.

Pain diagnosis begins with a clinical evaluation, including a review of symptoms, pain location and intensity, and relevant history, such as injury, surgery, or illness. In children, tools like the Faces Pain Scale may be used to assess pain. Diagnostic tests may include blood work, imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound), dye studies, or nerve conduction tests. To assess pain more objectively, clinicians use various tools. Unidimensional scales measure pain intensity alone and are best for acute pain. These include the VAS, where patients mark a line to indicate pain severity; the VRS, which uses descriptive terms; the Wong-Baker Faces Scale, commonly used in children; and the NRS, which asks patients to rate pain from 0 to 10. While simple and quick, these scales may oversimplify chronic pain.

Multidimensional tools offer a more comprehensive view. the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) uses 78 descriptors to evaluate sensory, affective, and evaluative aspects of pain. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) measures pain severity and its impact on daily activities and emotional well-being. The Indiana Polyclinic Combined Pain Scale (IPCPS) assesses pain, function, depression, and anxiety and includes a screening tool for opioid misuse. These tools help providers better understand and treat complex, chronic pain conditions.

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain Epidemiology

As the market is derived using the patient-based model, the moderate-to-severe acute pain epidemiology chapter in the report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiology segmented by Total Incident Cases of Acute Pain, Total Diagnosed Incident Cases of Acute Pain, and Severity-specific Diagnosed Incident Cases of Acute Pain, in the 7MM covering the United States, EU4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan, from 2020 to 2034.

As per DelveInsight analysis, in 2024, the total diagnosed incident cases of acute pain in the United States were 74,828,000 cases, estimated to rise by 2034.

In the 7MM, the US accounted for the highest number of incident cases of acute pain, with nearly 86,800,000 cases in 2024.

Among EU4 and the UK, the maximum cases were reported in Germany followed by France, and the least cases were found in Spain.

In the US, about 40% of cases observed were of moderate acute pain, and 20% of severe acute pain.

In the UK, approximately 4,417,000 cases of trauma pain, 3,492,000 cases of postoperative pain, and 3,306,000 cases of acute medical illness in 2024.

Japan accounted for about 8,419,000 cases of moderate acute pain and about 2,078,000 cases of severe acute pain, in 2024.

Scope of the Report

The report covers a segment of key events, an executive summary, and a descriptive overview of moderate-to-severe acute pain, explaining its causes, signs and symptoms, pathogenesis, and current diagnosis methods.

Comprehensive insight into the epidemiology segments and forecasts, the future growth potential of diagnosis rate, and disease progression have been provided.

A detailed review of current challenges in establishing diagnosis and diagnosis rate is provided.

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain Report Insights

Patient population

Country-wise epidemiology distribution

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain Report Key Strengths

Ten-year forecast

The 7MM coverage

Moderate-to-severe acute pain epidemiology segmentation

Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain Report Assessment

Epidemiology segmentation

Current Diagnostic practices

FAQs

Epidemiology Insights

What are the disease risks, burdens, and unmet needs of moderate-to-severe acute pain? What will be the growth opportunities across the 7MM concerning the patient population pertaining to moderate-to-severe acute pain?

What is the historical and forecasted moderate-to-severe acute pain patient pool in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan?

What is the diagnostic pattern of moderate-to-severe acute pain?

Which clinical factors will affect moderate-to-severe acute pain?

Which factors will affect the increase in the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe acute pain?

Reasons to Buy

Insights on disease burden, details regarding diagnosis, and factors contributing to the change in the epidemiology of the disease during the forecast years.

To understand the change in moderate-to-severe acute pain cases in varying geographies over the coming years.

A detailed overview of total prevalent cases of moderate-to-severe acute pain, diagnosed prevalent cases of moderate-to-severe acute pain, gender-specific cases of moderate-to-severe acute pain, and age-specific cases of moderate-to-severe acute pain is included.

To understand the perspective of key opinion leaders around the current challenges with establishing the diagnosis and insights on the treatment-eligible patient pool.

Detailed insights on various factors hampering disease diagnosis and other existing diagnostic challenges. Show more