Chronic pain in a large community sample of persons with multiple sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
This study examined the prevalence, intensity, interference, and biopsychosocial correlates of pain in a large community-based sample of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).


METHODS
Mail surveys were returned by 442 members of the King County (WA) MS Association. Average pain intensity, pain-related activity interference, depressive symptoms and severity of MS were assessed.


RESULTS
Forty-four percent reported persistent, bothersome pain in the three months prior to completing the survey. Participants with pain reported an average pain intensity rating of 5.2 (SD = 2.3) on the 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as bad as could be) scale. Twenty-seven percent reported severe pain (score of 7-10), while 51% of those with pain rated the interference of their pain with daily activities as none to minimal. Twenty percent reported severe interference in activities as a result of pain. In multivariate modeling, MS illness severity, marital status, and self-ratings of overall health were significantly associated with pain-related interference with activities.


CONCLUSIONS
Approximately a fourth of this sample described having a chronic pain problem characterized by severe pain intensity and significant pain-related interference with activities. Disability due to pain may be more important than previously recognized for the MS population.
Ehde
Dawn M
DM
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. ehde@u.washington.edu
Gibbons
Laura E
LE
Chwastiak
Lydia
L
Bombardier
Charles H
CH
Sullivan
Mark D
MD
Kraft
George H
GH
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003625:Data Collection; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011584:Psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index