Musculoskeletal and central pain at 1 year post-stroke: associated factors and impact on quality of life

Background and Purpose Pain is common in post-stroke patients and has been shown to be associated with depression, fatigue, and decreased quality of life (QOL). However, studies examining different types of post-stroke pain are scarce. We investigated differences in the related factors and their QOL impacts between musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and central post-stroke pain (CPSP). Methods We assessed 364 consecutive stroke patients who were admitted to Asan Medical Center and contacted 12 months after stroke onset. We categorized pain and paresthesia as MSP, CPSP, combined pain, or other pain. Post-stroke depression (Beck Depression Inventory), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), sleep disturbance (Verran Snyder-Halpern scale), social support (ENRICHED Social Support Instrument), and QOL (Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form) were assessed. Results Of the 364 patients analyzed, 135 (37.1%) had pain, 78 (21.4%) had MSP, 22 (6.0%) had CPSP, 16 (4.4%) had combined pain, and 19 (5.2%) had other pain. In multivariate analyses, CPSP was related to modified Rankin scale (P=.004), sensory dysfunction (P<.001), thalamus lesion (P=.001), medulla lesion (P=.007), and fatigue (P=.026). MSP was related to motor dysfunction (P<.001) and fatigue (P=.003). QOL varied among groups with different types of pain (P<.001) and was the poorest in patients with combined pain. Conclusions Pain is common 12 months post-stroke. The factors associated with CPSP and MSP differ, but are both closely associated with fatigue rather than depression. QOL is the poorest in patients with combined pain. Management of pain and fatigue may be important for improving the QOL in stroke patients.