Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Leuenberger, Janine
• Kohl Schwartz, Alexandra Sabrina
• Geraedts, Kirsten
• Haeberlin, Felix
• Eberhard, Markus
• Orellie, Stefanie
• Imesch, Patrick
• Leeners, Brigitte

Titel

Living with endometriosis: Comorbid pain disorders, characteristics of pain and relevance for daily life

Ist Teil von

• European journal of pain, 2022-05, Vol.26 (5), p.1021-1038

Ort / Verlag

England: John Wiley and Sons Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background Pain plays a central role in endometriosis. The complex relationship among pain characteristics, comorbid pain disorders and daily life represents a challenge for medical support. This multicentre cross‐sectional case–control study analysed the association between endometriosis‐related chronic pain and functions of daily life in 510 women with endometriosis, 265 (52%) who experienced chronic pain, either from endometriosis alone (N = 134, 26.3%) or in association with additional pain disorders (N = 131, 25.7%). Methods Self‐administered questionnaires from the Brief Pain Inventory and the Pain Disability Index were used to investigate associations between pain characteristics (frequency, duration, intensity) and daily life. Also, associations between different endometriosis characteristics (rASRM stage, presence of adhesions, localisation of lesions) and pain were evaluated. Results Chronic pain is negatively associated with almost all (12/14) aspects of daily life investigated, including standing, walking, sitting, defaecation, sleep, sports activities, family and domestic responsibilities, sexuality, social functioning, professional life, mood, and joy of life. Altogether, 33.7% of women with chronic pain reported moderate and 27.5% severe limitations. Comorbid pain disorders resulted in significantly more limitations. The length of pain episodes showed a particularly important influence, especially for family/domestic responsibilities (OR 22.94, p < 0.001), professional life (OR 16.56, p < 0.001) and social functioning (OR 41.03, p < 0.001). Conclusions Our data confirm that despite treatment, about 50% of women experience pain. Pain was associated with at least moderate negative effects on almost all areas of daily life; additional pain comorbidities increased limitations. Improving pain management is essential for improving quality of life in women with endometriosis. Significance The study provides an accurate overview of the impact of endometriosis‐associated pain on daily life. This is important because pain plays a central role in women living with endometriosis, and despite modern therapies, many women continue to suffer from chronic pain. The detailed analysis of its impact with a comprehensive survey of all aspects of daily life in a very large study population is unique. We expect an improved understanding of consequences of pain to significantly advance medical support in these patients.