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.
Keywords:
Chronic pain; Depression; Gender distribution; Quality of life