A comparison of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients referring to a pain clinic with subacute and chronic pain

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features of patients referring to a university hospital’s pain clinic with chronic (≥ 12 weeks) and subacute pain (< 12 weeks). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 426 patients were included. Demographic variables including education level, marital and employment status, and risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and opium addiction were recorded. Also, sites of pain, pain quality and associated symptoms, and pain severity were assessed using a numerical rating scale. Each one of these variables was compared between the chronic and subacute pain groups. Results: Of the 426 studied patients, 292 (69%) had chronic pain and 134 (31%) reported subacute pain. Patients with chronic pain were older and had higher body mass indices. Additionally, self-employment was less frequent among the chronic pain group. The patients with chronic pain had a higher prevalence of addiction. The most commonly reported site of pain in all patients was the lower back (62.4%), followed by pain in the leg and foot (39.9%), knee (24.4%), and hip (18.8%). There were no statistically significant differences in pain sites between the two groups, except for knee pain, which was more common among the chronic pain group. The patients with chronic pain had a higher incidence of obscure and persistent pain, while those with subacute pain experienced more night pain. Conclusions: About one-third of the patients referring to the pain clinic had subacute pain. The patients with chronic pain were older and more obese, had a higher prevalence of addiction, had more cases of knee pain, and reported more instances of obscure and persistent pain than those with subacute pain.