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Quality of life in men with chronic scrotal pain
Aosama Aljumaily1,2, Christopher Wu3, Hind Al-Khazraji1
1Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) significantly impacts men's quality of life, mood, and daily activities. Higher pain severity in CSP is directly linked to a greater negative effect on overall well-being.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Pain Medicine
- Men's Health
Background:
- Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) affects up to 4.75% of men.
- CSP is a debilitating condition with limited research on its impact on men's lives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the profound impact of chronic scrotal pain on men's quality of life, mood, and daily functioning.
- To establish the relationship between pain severity and the overall well-being of men experiencing CSP.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 131 male patients diagnosed with CSP.
- Comprehensive questionnaire assessing quality of life (QoL), mood, and daily activities.
- Analysis of pain scores, frequency, and their correlation with patient-reported outcomes.
Main Results:
- Mean patient age was 43; severe pain episodes (≥7/10) occurred 40% of the time.
- 67% of patients reported feeling unhappy or terrible; over 40% experienced depressive symptoms frequently.
- Significant limitations reported in work (51.9%), physical activity (70.99%), and sexual activity (61.83%).
Conclusions:
- CSP severely disrupts quality of life, mood, and daily activities in affected men.
- Pain severity is a direct determinant of the negative impact on patients' well-being.
- Findings highlight the need for effective management strategies for CSP to improve patient outcomes.
Abstract:
Background: Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common and often debilitating condition found in up to 4.75% of men. There is little written on the impact of CSP on men's lives. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the impact of CSP on men's lives. Methods: Patients with CSP were prospectively asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire, including questions on quality of life (QoL), activities, and mood. Results: The mean age of the 131 patients was 43 years. Pain was intermittent, with severe pain episodes (mean pain scores 7.2 ± 2 out of 10) affecting men on average 40% ± 30% of the time. Overall, 88/131 (67.17%) of patients responded that they felt "unhappy" or "terrible" with their present situation. More than 40% of patients complained of depressive symptoms more than half the days of the month. Normal activities were adversely affected, with 68/131 (51.90%) reporting limited ability to work, 93/131 (70.99%) patients reporting decreased physical activity, and 81/131(61.83%) reporting decreased sexual activity. Comparing men with pain levels ≥ 7/10 vs. those with pain levels < 7/10, 47% (41/88) vs. 8.1% (3/37) reported that they felt "terrible," 40% (35/88) vs. 13% (5/38) had depressive feelings more than half the time, and 35% (28/80) vs. 16% (6/38) felt little pleasure doing things (P < 0.01 for all). Conclusion: Our study suggests that QoL, mood, and the ability to perform normal activities are profoundly disturbed in CSP patients and that the pain severity is directly related to QoL.
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