Hong Kong  - One in 10 Hong Kong people suffering chronic pain have resorted to ancient painkilling cures such as drinking urine and eating insects, a survey published Tuesday claims.

Around 90 per cent of the 227 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers questioned in the survey admitted using unconventional methods to ease their pain.

One in five said they "used bees to sting their aching parts in order to cure the pain" while others said they had drank urine or eaten crushed ants.

The survey was carried out by the Hong Kong Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation to raise awareness of how chronic pain impacted on people's lives ahead of World Arthritis Day on October 12.

Foundation chairman David Yau Po-wing said more than one third of patients questioned said the pain had an intense effect on their social lives and daily activities, while 24 per cent said it had led them to lose or change jobs.

As many as 60 per cent said it caused them to be depressed and distressed.

Around 40 per cent said the pain has persisted for 10 years or more, with 10 per cent suffering for 20 years.

Rheumatology specialist Gavin Lee Ka-wing estimated that one out of 10 Hong Kong people suffered from various types of chronic pain.

However Lee warned that unconventional methods to ease pain were not scientifically proven and could cause side-effects such allergies.

The survey was carried out between August and September in the city of 7 million. (dpa)