Prevalence and characteristics of pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to the Norwegian general population.

Abstract

UNLABELLED:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to a sample from the Norwegian general population. This cross-sectional study evaluated 100 COPD patients with and without pain and 333 individuals from the Norwegian population with pain. After controlling for age and sex, a significantly higher percentage of patients with COPD (45%) reported pain than the general population (34%; P = .02). No differences were found in pain intensity scores, pain interference score, or number of pain locations between COPD patients and the general population. COPD patients reported moderate-to-severe pain located primarily in the chest, shoulders, neck, and thorax. For both groups, the most common pain treatment was analgesic use. Acupuncture/transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was used more frequently by COPD patients (P < .001) while physiotherapy was used more frequently by the general population (P = .007) to treat their pain. Pain is a significant problem for COPD patients. Additional research is warranted to replicate these findings and to provide a more detailed characterization of how pain changes over time and influences COPD patients' ability to function and their quality of life.

PERSPECTIVE:

Compared to the general population, pain is more common in patients with COPD and ranges from moderate to severe in its intensity.

• Authors: Signe Berit Bentsen, Tone Rustøen, Christine Miaskowski
• Journal: The journal of pain (J Pain) Vol. 12 Issue 5 Pg. 539-45 (May 2011) ISSN: 1528-8447 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21549316 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Aged
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Norway (epidemiology)
• Pain (epidemiology)
• Pain Measurement
• Prevalence
• Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive (epidemiology, therapy)
• Quality of Life
• Severity of Illness Index
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation