Frequency of chronic neuropathic pain and its association with depression in the elderly in Pakistan

Chronic neuropathic pain is secondary to other musculoskeletal pain. The following study aimed to determine the frequency of chronic neuropathic pain and its association with depression in the elderly. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 306 participants at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) Hospital, in Islamabad over a period of 6 months from September 2017 to February 2018. Population of ? 60 years of age with chronic pain for >6 months were included, whereas patients with malignant origin of pain, intermittent pain and psychological pain were excluded. Data was collected by using DN4 and DASS Questionnaires were analysed by SPSS. Of the 271 participants with the mean age of 66 +/- 5.8 years, 216 (79.9%) were male. The frequency of patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain was 53.9%. Data showed among the elderly a strong association of chronic neuropathic pain with anxiety and stress (P<0.05), but not with depression (P>0.05).