[Mammography-related pain and anxiety].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether informing patients about mammographic compression changed the anxiety and pain that they experience during mammography.


METHODS
Five hundred and one patients were enrolled in the study. Two hundred and fifty seven (51.3%) were informed before the procedure by written forms explaining the necessity of compression. The remaining 244 (48.7%) didn't get any pre-procedural information. All participants completed demographic form and Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory while they were waiting for mammography. They marked the level of pain due to compression on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) after the procedure. Chi square, Pearson's correlation and Student's t tests were used for statistical analyses.


RESULTS
We didn't find any significant difference between the anxiety scores of the informed (41.4+/-7.9) and uninformed (40.9+/-7.7) women, but the pain level was significantly lower in the informed group (16.5+/-22.4) than in the uninformed group (24.5+/-28.1). There was no statistically significant relationship between the anxiety and pain levels. Women who had recently felt tense and nervous or had a fear of breast cancer diagnosis had higher anxiety levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data shows that informing patients about examination decreases the level of pain due to mammographic compression, but does not alter the anxiety level. The main cause of anxiety appears to be the fear of a malignant diagnosis. Any intervention to decrease this fear may increase the compliance rates for screening mammography.
Alimoğlu
Emel
E
Akdeniz Universitesi Tip Fakültesi, Radyoloji Anabilim Dali, Antalya, Turkey.
Alimoğlu
Mustafa Kemal
MK
Kabaalioğlu
Adnan
A
Ceken
Kağan
K
Apaydin
Ali
A
Lüleci
Ersin
E
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008327:Mammography / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D008347:Manifest Anxiety Scale; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement