Background & Aims
Neck pain is a highly prevalent condition, about two third of the adult population affected at some point of time in their lives ,its prevalence being greater in females then males with the highest peaks in middle age. It is usually classified according to the duration of the symptoms into acute (pain lasts less than 6 weeks), subacute (pain lasts up to three months) or chronic (symptoms persist more than 3 months) pain. It has a multifactorial and complex aetiology.
Primary objective
1.The aim of the study is to assess the severity of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain using Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS).
Secondary objectives
1.To correlate the intensity of pain with the severity of anxiety and depression in patients of chronic nonspecific neck pain.
2.To correlate the level of disability with the severity of anxiety and depression in patients of chronic nonspecific neck pain.
Methods
80 patients with complain of chronic neck pain presented at Pain Clinic of Jawaharlal Nehru medical college and hospital, Aligarh Muslim university, Aligarh,India.
Patients were assessed for the severity of anxiety and depression using HAM-A and HDRS SCALE .
Intensity of chronic neck pain was assessed using Numerical rating scale and Neck pain disability index.
1.HAMILTON ANXIETY RATING SCALE (HAM-A):
The HAM A was developed to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. The scale consists of 14 items
2.HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS)
The HDRS contain contains 17 items pertaining to symptoms of depression experienced, with a score range of 0- 52.
3.Numeric pain rating scale:
On a scale 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is worst pain
4.Neck pain disability index
Results
We found that females suffering from chronic neck pain are more susceptible to anxiety and depression than male population(75% vs 35%). Intensity of pain correlates with the severity of depression and anxiety .
Patients with younger age group (<50 years) are more prone (60%) to depression and anxiety than elderly population.
Conclusions
To conclude, females of younger age group with chronic neck pain are more affected with anxiety and depression. Further multicentric studies with large sample size are needed to support the evidence of our study.
References
1.Pincus T, Williams AC, Vogel S, Field A. The development and testing of the depression, anxiety, and positive outlook scale (DAPOS). Pain 2004; May 109
2.Dersh J, Polatin PB, Gatchel RJ. Chronic pain and psychopathology: research findings and theoretical considerations. Psychosom Med 2002
3.Worz R. Pain in depression, depression in pain. Pain Clinical Updates 2003; IASP Vol XI, No. 5.
4.Eva Blozik, Daria Laptinskaya, Christoph Herrmann-Lingen and al. Depression and anxiety as major determinants of neck pain: a cross-sectional study in general practice. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2009;10:13.
5.Miller LR, Cano A. Comorbid chronic pain and depression: who is at risk? J Pain. 2009;10(6):619-27
Presenting Author
Prof Hammad Usmani
Poster Authors
Hammad Usmani
M.D.
Jawaharlal Nehru medical college and hospital
Lead Author
Topics
- Lifestyle Issues: Sleep/Diet/Exercise/Social Interactions