Characterization of pain syndromes in patients with neuromyelitis optica

AbstractPain is common and refractory in spinal cord injury (SCI). Currently, most studies evaluated pain in male ‐predominant traumatic‐SCI. Also, concomitant secondary pain syndromes and its temporal evolution were seldom reported. We aimed to prospectively describe the main and secondary pain and its associated factors in inflammatory‐SCI evaluating neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients.In ‐remission NMO patients underwent neurological, imaging and autoantibody evaluations. Questionnaires detailing main and secondary pains, functional state, mood, catastrophising, quality of life (QoL) and “non‐motor symptoms" were used at two time points.Pain was present in 53(73.6%) of the 72 patients included. At ‐level neuropathic pain was the most common main pain syndrome, affecting 32 subjects (60.4% of those with pain). Over 70% (n=38) of this cohort reported two pain syndromes. Those without pain were significantly younger (26.1±12.7 y.o. in those without pain and 40.1±12.5, 37.2±11.4 y.o. in thos e whose main pain was neuropathic and non‐neuropathic, respectively, p=0.001), and no differences in the inflammatory status were observed between groups. On follow‐up, one‐fifth (n=11) had a different main pain syndrome from the first visit. Pain impacted QoL as much as disability and motor s trength.Pain is a prevalent and disabling non ‐motor symptom in NMO‐SCI. Most patients experience more than one pain syndrome which can change in time even in the absence o...

Source: European Journal of Pain - June 1, 2020 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Fernanda Valerio, Samira L Apostolos ‐Pereira, Douglas Kazutoshi Sato, Dagoberto Callegaro, Leandro Tavares Lucat, Victor Rosseto Barboza, Valquiria A. Silva, Ricardo Galhardoni, Antonia L de Lima Rodrigues, Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira, Daniel Ci Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research