Influence of pain syndrome on fatigue and sleep disturbance in patients with cervical dystonia

Cilj istraživanja: Cilj je bio ispitati učestalost i težinu bolnoga sindroma te utvrditi utjecaj istoga na pojavu umora i poremećaje spavanja. Ispitanici i metode: Analizirali smo 48 pacijenata koji su oboljeli od cervikalne distonije. Za istraživanje se koristio upitnik u koji su se unosili: dob, spol, dužina trajanja cervikalne distonije, prisutnost i težina bolnosti. Za težinu bolnoga sindroma koristila se VAS (Visual Analog Scale) skala. Za utvrđivanje prisutnih simptoma umora koristila se FAS (Fatigue Assessment Scale) skala, za poremećaje spavanja koristila se PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) skala. Rezultati: Većina pacijenata (83,3%) imala je bolni sindrom. Bolesnici su prosječno bolnost na VAS skali procjenjivali s 5/10, najmanja bolnost bila je 3/10, a najjača 8/10. Medijan skale umora iznosio je 28,50 (17,00-36,75), što govori u prilog prisutnosti umora u ispitanika s cervikalnom distonijom. Medijan smetnji sna iznosio je 6,00 (3,25-10,00), što govori u prilog lošoj kvaliteti sna ispitanika. Uočili smo pozitivnu korelaciju između skale bolnosti i skale umora kako za ukupan zbroj tako i za pojedinačan zbroj mentalnog i fizičkog umora. Kontinuirano javljanje bolova bilo je povezano s pojavom umora. Nismo uočili statistički značajnu razliku u kvaliteti noćnog sna u ovisnosti o bolnom sindromu. Zaključak: Bol je učestali nemotorni simptom kod pacijenata s cervikalnom distonijom. Ispitanici koji su imali stalno prisutne bolove osjećali su izraženije simptome umora u odnosu na ispitanike koji su bolove imali povremeno ili ih uopće nisu imali. Jačina boli utječe na pojavu simptoma umora. Nismo uočili utjecaj bolnoga sindroma na poremećaje spavanja.Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the frequency and severity of pain syndrome and to determine the effect of pain syndrome on the occurrence of fatigue and sleep disorders. Subjects and methods: This study analyzed 48 patients with cervical dystonia. A questionnaire was designed for the purpose of this study including the data on age, sex, and duration of cervical dystonia, presence and the severity of pain. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure the severity of pain syndrome. Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) was used to determine the symptoms of fatigue, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to determine sleep disorders. Results: The majority of the patients (83.3%) reported the presence of pain syndrome. The severity of pain reported on the VAS scale was on average 5/10, the lowest being 3/10, and the highest 8/10. The median of the FAS scale was 28.50 (17.00-36.75), which indicates the presence of the fatigue in patients. The median of the PSQI was 6.00 (3.25-10.00), which indicates the poor quality of sleep of the patients. A positive correlation was observed between the VAS scale and the FAS scale, both for the total fatigue and for the sums of mental and physical fatigue. Statistically significant difference was not found in the quality of night sleep in relation to the pain syndrome. Conclusion: Pain is a common non-motor symptom in patients with cervical dystonia. This study indicates that patients with persistent pain feel more pronounced symptoms of fatigue in comparison with patients who experience pain occasionally or have no pain at all. A positive correlation was observed between the VAS scale and the FAS scale. The effect of pain syndrome on sleep disorders was not reported in this research