ECE2022 Rapid Communications Rapid Communications 4: Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology 1 (8 abstracts)
The burden of pain in patients with acromegaly
Ilonka Kreitschmann-Andermahr 1 , Annalena Kahl 1 , Timo Deutschbein 2 , Jürgen Honegger 3 , Nicole Unger 4 , Mario Detomas 5,6 , Sabrina Giese 3 , Bernadette Schroeder 1 , Witold Chmielewski 1 & Sonja Siegel 1
1University Hospital Essen, Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, Essen, Germany; 2MEDICOVER Oldenburg MVZ, Oldenburg, Germany; 3University of Tübingen, Neurosurgery, Tübingen, Germany; 4University Hospital Essen, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Essen, Germany; 5Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; 6University Hospital Würzburg, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Würzburg, Germany
Introduction: The aim of the present study was to explore pain prevalence, pain locations and its impact on everyday activities and health-related quality of life (QoL) in a large cohort of patients with acromegaly.
Methods: We conducted a survey at three major centers specialized on the treatment of pituitary diseases. 124 patients with acromegaly (mean age 56.6y ± 13.5) filled in a self-constructed questionnaire on acromegaly symptoms, pain including a pain location diagram and interference with daily life. Additionally, joint pain, physical functioning and stiffness were queried with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), and health-related QoL was assessed with the Short Form (SF)-36. Prevalences (in valid %), comparison of means by t-tests and Pearson correlation coefficients (r) are reported.
Results: 62% of the patients reported pain they attributed to acromegaly. Of these 78% reported pain located in the joints, predominantly in knees and hips. 59% of them had headache and 47% had back pain. Of those patients with pain 84% reported daily pain, 81% had pain during work, 80% while sitting or lying down and 62% in stressful situations. 60% of them avoided certain activities to reduce pain. Pain prevalences did not differ between men and women (n.s) and were unrelated to age (n.s). Patients with pain had significantly lower physical (34.6±11.0 vs 48.7±10.3, P=0.000) and mental QoL (48.9±10.5 vs 42.0±11.5, P=0.002). Physical QoL was negatively correlated to the WOMAC subscales pain (r=-0.723), stiffness (r=-0.499) and functional limitation (r=-0.777) as well as to the number of different pain locations (r=-0.599, all P=0.000). The impact on psychological QoL was less pronounced (r ranging from -.279 to -.360), but still highly significant (all P<0.005).
Discussion: The results indicate that the majority of acromegaly patients suffers from pain with a detrimental effect on their daily living and QoL. This underlines the importance of addressing joint pain and other painful conditions in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of acromegaly.
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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