Changes in pain profile of patients with haemophilia during 1-year follow-up

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with haemophilia (PwH) may experience increased sensitivity to pain. Based on the assessment of the somatosensory system, a recent study showed a specific pain profile in PwH when compared to controls by using Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST). Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the pain profile of affected joints (knee or ankle joints) and a non-affected site (dominant hand) in adult PwH over a 1-year period. Methods: Twenty-four PwH (severe haemophilia A = 19, B = 3; moderate haemophilia A = 1, B = 1; age: 52±8 years) and 21 healthy controls (age: 52±12 years) were examined by QST. Both knee or ankle joints and the hand as reference were examined twice with an interval of 1 year in order to assess several detection (DT) and pain thresholds (PT). Results: Statistically significant altered mechanical (P