Article Text
Abstract
Please confirm that an ethics committee approval has been applied for or granted: Yes: I’m uploading the Ethics Committee Approval as a PDF file with this abstract submission
Background and Aims There is a lack of information regarding the demographics, clinical presentations, and pain procedures in chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) patients attending pain clinics in the teaching hospital of LMIC. The study aimed to observe the demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, referral patterns, and frequency of pain intervention procedures, in CNCP patients presenting to the pain clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods After approval from the Institutional ERC, all adult patients of both genders with CNCP presenting to the pain clinic were included in this retrospective descriptive cohort study. Data were obtained from patient’s medical records (from 2019 to 2023) on the initial and follow-up visits for three months and recorded in a data collection form.
Results A total of 675 patients were included in this study, of which 457 (67.7%) were female. Most patients (46.5%) were between 40 to 64 years of age and 62.1% had a BMI < 30 kg/m-2. 422 (62.5%) were referred to by family members or friends. Lower back and hip pain were the most prevalent site of pain in 371 (55%) of patients. 55.9% of patients presented with neuropathic pain, 31.7% with nociceptive pain, and 12.4% with mixed pain. Sleep was disturbed due to pain in 67.1% of patients and mood was disturbed in 61.5% of patients. Overall, 342 (50.66%) of patients needed at least one pain intervention procedure.
Conclusions In this study, 55.9% of patients had neuropathic pain. Pain sites and clinical presentations were diversified, and pain management strategies were patient-centered and individualized.