Epidemiology
The lack of universally accepted diagnostic criteria for MPS has, so far, resulted in reports of variable
results in epidemiologic studies conducted on the incidence and prevalence of the syndrome in the
general population, and this has made it difficult for the accuracy of statistics to be established. The
MPS is considered one of the categories of musculoskeletal pains, and, therefore, most of the available
data pertain to musculoskeletal pain in general, which is currently reported to affect approximately
85% of the population at some point during their lives [8]. The MPS represents the major cause of this
pain and the mean prevalence of this condition among middle-aged adults (30–60 years) is reported to
be 37% in men and 65% in women, respectively [9]. In the elderly (>65 years), the prevalence reaches
85% [10]. Thus, on the basis of demographics of ageing, MPS can potentially become an increasingly
important problem in the general population in the years to come