Impact of Noncancer Pain on Health-Related Quality of Life

Background While the economic costs of pain have been documented, the impact of noncancer pain on quality of life has not been studied extensively. Objective To estimate the influence of noncancer pain on quality of life measures. Design Prospective, multicenter, observational nonrandomized patient pain registry. Setting Outpatient settings. Participants Patients with acute episodes of noncancer pain requiring treatment with a prescription medication containing oxycodone immediate‐release on an as‐needed basis for at least 5 days (n = 629). Measurements The modified Brief Pain Inventory and the 12‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐12) was measured at baseline when oxycodone immediate‐release began and days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Repeated measures mixed models provided estimates of impact of pain on the physical component summary score (PCS) and mental health component summary score (MCS) of the SF‐12. Results Patterns indicating pain oscillation over the 28‐day window were common (Range: 44.3% back/neck pain cohort to 61.2% postoperative cohort). After adjustment for sociodemographics, concomitant medications and gastrointestinal symptoms, worst pain in 24 hours was associated with a 13.9 point PCS reduction (adjusted PCS for pain = 10: 31.1; adjusted PCS for pain = 0: 45.0) and a 7.2 point MCS reduction (adjusted MCS for pain = 10: 44.1; adjusted MCS for pain = 0: 51.3). Similar clinically relevant differences were observed among patients with arthritis, back/neck pain, injury/trauma, postoperative pain, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia, although statistical significance was not observed in the latter 2 groups. Conclusion Among outpatients with various underlying causes of pain, the negative impact of pain on physical and mental health‐related quality of life is significant.