title: Living with pain in ankylosing spondylitis: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite various quantitative studies reporting that pain is among the most serious problem in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), no detailed qualitative studies address how pain affects the life of patients with AS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore AS patients' experiences with pain and its effect on their lives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by individual in-depth interviews. Colaizzi's phenomenological data analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During periods of pain, participants indicated that they experienced difficulty with performing their daily routine activities and meeting their personal needs. Pain also prevented them from fulfilling their responsibilities in their families, inhibited their social relations, and posed problems at their workplace. Due to the negative effects of pain in their lives, the participants felt helplessness, fear, stress, sadness, and unhappiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Added to being asked about the quantity of pain, patients with AS should be questioned about how pain affects their lives.
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing , Gulhane Military Medical Academy , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulcan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bagcivan
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing , Gulhane Military Medical Academy , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Ilknur
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Cinar
authors.affiliation: b Division of Rheumatology , School of Medicine, Gulhane Military Medical Academy , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cinar
authors.affiliation: c Department of Nursing , School of Health Sciences, Okan University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Fahriye
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oflaz
authors.affiliation: d Health Science Faculty, Department of Nursing and Health Services , Yeditepe University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Senay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uzun
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing , Gulhane Military Medical Academy , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pay
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012934:Social Isolation; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ankylosing spondylitis; life experiences; pain; pain experiences; qualitative research