AB0837 NEUROPATHIC PAIN COMPONENT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS

Abstract

BackgroundAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease of the connective tissue1. AS often affects men aged 20-40 years and characterized by a progressive affect with rapid loss of work ability, deteriorating quality of life and reducing its duration. Quality of life is one of the markers of disease progression and evaluation of the treatment efficacy. The leading clinical symptom of AS is chronic pain, which may have not only nociceptive but also neuropathic component, which is not taken into account in the treatment of this category of patients, while pain is one of the main factors in reducing quality of life.ObjectivesTo investigate the prevalence of the neuropathic pain component (NPC) and its relationship with the quality of life in patients with AS.MethodsAS patients was diagnosed according to the New York 1984 classification criteria. The NPC was assessed by the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) and The Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4). Quality of life was assessed by the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL). We examined 142 patients with AS (79.5% of men) in the rheumatology center from 2016 to 2021. The mean age was (M±SD) 41.9 ± 9.7 years, the disease duration was 5.7 ± 4.6. Statistical analysis performed by the Microsoft Excel and IBM Statistics SPSS 20.ResultsNPC assessed by the LANSS (≥ 12) was found in 31% of patients, by the DN4 (> 4) in 38%. ASQoL in patients with AS with NPC by the LANSS was 12.27 ± 4.27, by the DN4 - 11.64 ± 4.19, which was significantly higher than in patients with AS without NPC: LANSS (7.97 ± 3.76), DN4 (7.86 ± 3.88). ASQoL had a strong direct correlation with LANSS (0.561; p <0.01) and DN4 (0.478; p <0.01) that means - presence of neuropathic pain substantially effects quality of life in patients with AS.ConclusionNPC is found in 31% - 38% of patients with AS. It is established that the presence of the neuropathic pain component significantly reduces the quality of life in patients with AS, which should be taken into account during the treatment.