Patient-Reported Allergies, a Marker of Preoperative Pain and Disability in Elective Spine Surgery

Retrospective review.

Previous literature demonstrates mixed results regarding the relationship between patient-reported allergies and pain, function, and satisfaction scores. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between patient-reported allergies and preoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) scores.

All patients undergoing elective cervical, lumbar procedures between May 2017 and October 2018 were included. Baseline demographic information was recorded, as well as all reported allergies or adverse reactions. Preoperative PROMIS, ODI, and NDI scores were recorded. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between total number of allergies and the preoperative pain and function scores.

A total of 570 patients were included (476 lumbar, 94 cervical). The mean number of allergies reported was 1.89 ± 2.32. The mean preoperative ODI and NDI scores were 46.39 ± 17.67 and 43.47 ± 16.51, respectively. The mean preoperative PROMIS Physical Health and PROMIS Mental Health scores were 37.21 ± 6.54 and 43.89 ± 9.26, respectively. Hierarchical multiple linear regression showed that total number of reported allergies shared a statistically significant negative relationship with all of the following scores: ODI (B = 0.83, P = .02), NDI (B = 1.45, P = .02), PROMIS Physical Health (B = -0.29, P = .013), and PROMIS Mental Health (B = -0.38, P = .024).

Patient-reported allergies share a statistically significant negative relationship with preoperative pain and function scores; as patients have increasing total number of allergies, the ODI/NDI scores become worse (increase) and the PROMIS scores become worse (decrease).