Survival with pain: an eight-year follow-up of war-wounded refugees.
The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of chronic pain in male war-wounded refugees and to examine the relationship between chronic pain and psychiatric symptoms. A culturally heterogeneous group of 44 war-wounded refugees were investigated during hospitalization, shortly after arrival, and followed up after two years. This study is an additional follow-up after eight years. The data collection methods used were structured interviews and physical examination. The measures of outcome were: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) grading of pain; clinical categorization of pain into nociceptive or neurogenic; Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL-25); Post Traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS-10). Chronic pain was found in 32 (73%) out of 44 subjects. The pain was purely nociceptive and neurogenic in 53% and 25%, respectively. The frequency of psychiatric symptoms was significantly related to the mean intensity of pain. War-wounded refugees display psychiatric symptoms and chronic pain in a complex pattern. Further research is needed as a basis for pain rehabilitation programmes suitable for this group.
Hermansson
A C
AC
Medical Centre for Refugees, Linköping University Hospital, Sweden. Ann-Charlotte.Hermansson@lio.se
Thyberg
M
M
Timpka
T
T
Gerdle
B
B
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012036:Refugees; D014857:Warfare; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*