Quality of life and pain multidimensional aspects in individuals with HTLV-1

HTLV-1 creates a chronic health condition that involves moderate to severe pain with a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). There is no consensus on which attitudes to pain are more related to the worsening of QoL in HTLV-1 infected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between QoL and multidimensional aspects of pain in patients with HTLV-1. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The study included individuals diagnosed with HTLV-1. The Short Form 36 Questionnaire was used to analyze QoL, and the Brief Pain Inventory was used to assess multidimensional aspects of pain. The mean pain intensity was 4.88±3.06 on the visual pain scale, and the average impact on QoL corresponded to a loss of approximately 40%. Moderate to high correlations between pain intensity and all domains of QoL were observed and compared reaction attitudes for general activity, mood, ability to walk, ability to work, relationships, sleep, and ability to enjoy life (r>0.40; p<0.05). Moderate correlations were found between all domains of QoL, pain intensity, and reactive attitudes to pain. The greatest pain intensity impacts involved difficulty to walk and to work, and interpersonal relationships in the emotional aspect of QoL.