title: Ignoring non-specific abdominal pain in emergency department patients may be related to decreased quality of life. A follow up of an underestimated problem.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients suffering from chronic pain have a high prevalence of depression, resulting in a significant impact on overall quality of life. Our aim was to investigate how long term acute non-specific abdominal pain (NSAP) affected overall physical and mental well-being in patients admitted to our emergency department (ED).
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients discharged from the ED with NSAP between 06/2007 and 06/2008 were included for follow up. Current health and well-being was evaluated using the SF-36® health questionnaire. Ordinal linear regression models were chosen to separately assess variables influencing SF-36® outcome, with adjustment for age and gender. Results were expressed as differences of means with corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 200 patients included (57% female, mean age 33 years), 53 (26.5%) still suffered from NSAP after a 12.5-month mean follow up. Patients with persistent NSAP suffered more from chronic pain (26.4%) or known psychiatric illnesses (15.1%) than unaffected patients (p<0.001 and p=0.028). Mental (MCS) and physical component scores (PCS) were significantly worse in patients suffering from persistent NSAP, even when adjusted for confounding factors including chronic pain syndromes, pre-existing psychiatric illnesses, other concomitant comorbidities and previous abdominal surgery (p<0.001 for both scores). Other risk factors included chronic pain syndromes, pre-existing psychiatric illnesses, other concomitant comorbidities and previous abdominal surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NSAP persistence may be associated with a decreased quality of life. Emphasis should be put on providing early counselling and support, with the aim of minimising the long term detrimental side effects of NSAP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Berne, 3010 Bern, Switzerland. vanessa.banz@gmx.ch
authors.forename: Vanessa M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Banz
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Moya
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Candinas
authors.forename: Aristomenis K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Exadaktylos
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013557:Switzerland