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Cross‐sectional evaluation of patient functioning and health‐related quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain under standard care conditions
Author(s) -
Gálvez Rafael,
Marsal Carlos,
Vidal Javier,
Ruiz Manuel,
Rejas Javier
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1532-2149
pISSN - 1090-3801
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejpain.2006.02.002
Subject(s) - medicine , neuropathic pain , quality of life (healthcare) , visual analogue scale , physical therapy , cross sectional study , population , mcgill pain questionnaire , gabapentin , anesthesia , nursing , environmental health , pathology , alternative medicine
Aim: The purpose of this cross‐sectional evaluation was to determine the impact of neuropathic pain (NeP) on patient functioning and Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) under standard care conditions. Methods: Patients with NeP or neuropathic and nociceptive pain [Mixed Pain (MP)] enrolled in the DONEGA study, a naturalistic, prospective and multi‐centre study of the effectiveness of gabapentin under usual care conditions, were included in this cross‐sectional evaluation before starting study treatments. Participants completed the Short Form‐McGill Pain Questionnaire, MOS Short Form‐12 (SF‐12), and Sheehan Disability Scale (ShDS). Multivariate analysis and regression models were used to analyze patient data. Results: A total of 1519 patients [mean±SD; 56.0±13.7 yrs old (58.8% female)] with NeP or MP were enrolled in the study. The mean pain history was 1.1±2.8 yrs, current pain intensity on a 5‐point visual analogue scale was 2.8±1.0 and mean pain in previous week was 71.3±19.0mm. Pain substantially interfered (i.e., score≥5 on 0–10 scale) with normal work (5.9±3.0), social life (5.7±3.0), and family life (5.3±3.0), producing substantial disability (total ShDS score of 16.9±8.3 pts). Country‐standardised physical (PCS) and mental health (MCS) component summary scores of SF‐12 indicated significant impairment in both domains compared with the general Spanish population: PCS; −1.13±1.0 SDS (standard deviation score), and MCS; −1.21±0.7 SDS, equivalent to the 15th and 25th percentiles of normative populations, respectively. Conclusions: Under standard care conditions, neuropathic and mixed pain are associated with impaired physical and mental QoL, producing a substantial level of disability in these patients.