UĞUR ERTEM, JALE İRDESEL
The European Research Journal - 2022;8(4):468-474
Objectives: Unlike other complications in stroke patients, central post-stroke pain (CPSP) can sometimes be underestimated and overlooked. Considering the morbidities caused by CPSP in patients, it is clear that it is actually a very important problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of CPSP, the factors that cause CPSP, and the relationship between CPSP and individuals’ quality of life and ambulation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of patients with stroke. 140 stroke patients were included in the study. The neuropathic pain was assessed with The Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) pain scale, quality of life was assessed with Short Form 36 (SF-36) Questionnaire, and ambulation was evaluated according to the Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC). In addition, a special evaluation form was created for this study. With this form, the demographic characteristics of the patients, the type of stroke, the brain region affected by the stroke and the affected hemisphere were recorded. The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with CPSP, and group 2 included patients who could not meet the diagnosis of neuropathic pain according to the LANSS pain scale, regardless of other pain types. Results: CPSP was detected in 23 (16.5%) of 140 patients. CPSP was statistically significantly higher in female patients (p = 0.006). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of other demographic characteristics (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of affected cerebral region and stroke type (p < 0.05), but CPSP was found to be statistically significantly higher in patients with left hemispheric involvement (p = 0.003). Emotional role restriction, body pain, social function, general health and mental health subcategory scores of SF-36 were found to be significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (p > 0.05). In addition, when the two groups were compared in terms of ambulation levels, the rate of patients with FAC 2 and below was 73% in group 1, while this rate was 34.1% in group 2. Conclusions: It was concluded that CPSP is a common problem and negatively affects the quality of life. Therefore, CPSP should be recognized in the early period after stroke and treatments should be arranged accordingly.
