Chronic neuropathic pain: quality of life, depressive symptoms and distinction between genders

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain which can be accompanied by comorbidities, such as sleep interferences and anxiety. The present study aimed to evaluate the neuropathic chronic pain impact and its comorbidities in life quality and depression symptoms, comparing this impact between genders. METHODS: Thirty female and 30 male patients were evaluated. The research was based on the following instruments: half structured interview with sociodemographic questions, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, pain signs and symptoms by Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, visual analog scale and drugs adherence by Morisky-Green test. RESULTS: As for quality of life, the physical domain was the most affected and only the psychological domain showed statistical differences between genders (p=0.031). The depression symptoms were observed in 56.7% of all patients, without important statistical difference between the genders (p=0,830). The median of pain intensity was 8.0 points, indicating severe pain intensity among these patients. The medical adherence happened among women and men, respectively in 7 (23.3%) and 11 (36.7%) of the patients (p=0.260). CONCLUSION: The presence of neuropathic pain and its comorbidities strongly and negatively affects quality of life and is related to depressive symptoms, with similar prevalence in both genders, although women have a greater impact on their quality of life.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Villa,Laura Figueiredo, Cunha,Ana Marcia Rodrigues, Dias,Lilian Andreia Chessa, Foss,Marcos Henrique Dall'aglio, Martins,Marielza Regina Ismael
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Sociedade Brasileira para o Estudo da Dor 2021
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2595-31922021000400301
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