Blood cadmium level as a risk factor for chronic pain: NHANES database 1999–2004

ObjectiveThe escalating prevalence of chronic pain poses a substantial socio-economic burden. Chronic pain primarily stems from musculoskeletal and nervous system impairments. Given cadmium's known toxicity to these systems, our study sought to investigate the correlation between blood cadmium levels and chronic pain.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999–2004), and comprised US adults who participated in a chronic pain interview. We employed logistic regression models and smooth curve fitting to elucidate the relationship between blood cadmium levels and chronic pain.ResultsOur findings revealed a linear association between blood cadmium levels and chronic pain. Compared to the lower blood cadmium tertile 1 (