Chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain in adult population in Manizales (Colombia)

Abstract

Introduction: chronic pain is one of the symptoms that most affect the functionality and quality of life of its sufferers. In Colombia, there are few studies on its epidemiological and clinical behavior.

Objective: to estimate the prevalence and clinical aspects of chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain in a representative sample of the city of Manizales.

Methods: we interviewed 627 people of both sexes, aged 18 years and over, randomly selected in several districts of the city of Manizales, using a semi-structured home interview conducted by students of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The information was processed using the statistical package Epi-Info.

Results: the prevalence of chronic pain was found to be 33.9%, 31.4% nociceptive and 2.5% neuropathic. There was predominance in the female sex for both types, and for nociceptive pain the frequency increased with age. The most common location were the head for nociceptive pain and the upper limbs for neuropathic pain. The duration of pain was more than one year in two thirds of the subjects, and over 5 years in a third of them. Half of the people with chronic pain reported significant mood alteration, and one third reported involvement in their sleep pattern. The predominant drugs in both types of pain were NSAIDs and acetaminophen, with low consumption of opioids. 41% of respondents reported self-medication. The scale screening of neuropathic pain (DN4) was useful for identifying individuals with this type of pain, and showed the ability to discriminate nocicceptive pain, depending on the inclusion or exclusion of items of physical examination.

Conclusions: this study confirms the high prevalence of chronic pain in the adult population and its tendency to persist over the years, with involvement in emotional aspects and quality of life. It also shows the clinical utility of screening tests for differentiation of types of chronic pain. This highlights the need for proper diagnosis and management of individual patients, as well as for an appropriate health policy and the development of research to meet this condition