Evaluation of the perception of chronic ischemic pain in humans with peripheral arterial disease

The perception of pain is multidimensional, subjective, and unique to each individual and can be influenced by several dimensions of pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception of chronic ischemic pain using the descriptors of pain and to rate the main descriptors of chronic pain to people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The study was conducted in two hospitals in Brazil and consisted of two phases. In phase I, 100 participants with a diagnosis of PAD and chronic pain evaluated 50 descriptors of pain using the Multidimensional Pain Evaluation Scale by the psychophysical method of category estimation using a numerical scale with 11 points. In phase II, 30 participants judged the 10 first descriptors selected in phase I by the psychophysical method of magnitude estimation. The average intensity of chronic ischemic pain was 5.59 +/- 3.16. The descriptors of chronic pain with higher scores obtained by the method of category estimation were unpleasant, followed by disturbing, strong, concern, tiring, boring, terrible, painful, sickening, and uncomfortable. By the method of magnitude estimation, the descriptors of pain showing sensitive, affective, and cognitive dimensions were identified by the descriptors terrible, follow by painful, uncomfortable, concern, tiring, sickening, strong, disturbing, boring, and unpleasant. This study showed that the chronic ischemic pain by PAD is associated with multidimensional components of pain.