Quality of life and functionality in patients suffering from chronic pain, anxiety and depression

Abstract

Mental illnesses are common in patients with chronic pain, and this association may result in changes in functional status. This study assessed the functionality and quality of life of patients with chronic pain, anxiety, and depression.A total of 103 patients were interviewed at Federal University of Minas Gerais’ (UFMG) Hospital das Clínicas Pain Center, in 2020 and 2021. The presence of depression and anxiety symptoms, pain intensity, quality of life, and functionality was assessed. The cohort studied was stratified into groups suffering from mild, moderate, and intense pain in accordance with the visual numeric scale, and these patients then underwent descriptive and comparative analyses. Subsequently, a multivariate analysis was performed, followed by linear regression analysis to identify risk factors and variables that contributed to the pain being felt.In total, 16.5% of the patients were diagnosed with symptoms of anxiety, 13.59% with depression, and 34.95% presented symptoms of both anxiety and depression. The functionality assessment revealed severe incapacity, with the highest levels of incapacity present in those suffering from the most intense pain.Patients with symptoms of anxiety and depression presented a worse quality of life than those without these symptoms, with some aspects directly related to pain intensity.Chronic pain, in the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, produces severe functional psychosocial incapacity and a low quality of life, which are directly related to pain intensity. Skin color, suicidal ideation, and psychosocial issues are associated with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.