Pain in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: determination of prevalence and characteristics

The aim was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pain in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (pwNMOSD).

The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to determine the participants' pain levels and pain localization. The PainDETECT Questionnaire (PD-Q) was used to differentiate between nociceptive and neuropathic pain. The scores ≤ 12 were considered as presence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and > 12 as neuropathic pain (NP). The Preference-Based Multiple Sclerosis Index (PBMSI) was used to measure health-related quality of life. Information such as Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), disease duration and age of the participants were also recorded.

The 62 participants included in the study were divided into 3 groups: 14 without pain, 17 with MSP and 31 with NP. There was no difference between the groups in terms of age, disease duration and EDSS scores (p > .05). When the pain distribution was analyzed, the regions with the most pain complaints in the last 12 months were neck (n = 22, 34.9%), foot-ankle (n = 16, 25.4%) and back (n = 15, 25.8%), respectively. When the quality of life of the three groups were compared, there was a difference between PBMSI-Walk, PBMSI-Fatigue and total score.

The results of this study showed that the neck, back, and foot-ankle were the most common and most disabling pain areas in pwNMOSD, regardless of the age, disease duration, and EDSS score of the participant. However, there was a difference between the groups in the parameters related to gait, fatigue and total quality of life against NP.