Characterization of pain syndromes in patients with neuromyelitis optica.
Fernanda ValerioSamira Luísa Apóstolos PereiraDouglas Kazutoshi SatoDagoberto CallegaroLeandro Tavares LucatoVictor Rosseto BarbozaValquiria A SilvaRicardo GalhardoniAntonia L de Lima RodriguesManoel Jacobsen TeixeiraDaniel Ciampi de AndradePublished in: European journal of pain (London, England) (2020)
In this longitudinal study with NMO-related SCI, pain affected almost three-quarters of patients with NMO. Over 70% have more than one pain syndrome and at-level neuropathic pain is the most common type of pain syndrome. Patients without pain were significantly younger but had the same burden of inflammatory lesions than those with pain. During follow-up, up to one fifth of patients presented with changes in the main pain syndromes, which can occur even in the absence of clinical activity of the inflammatory disease. In this cohort, Pain affected quality of life as much as disability or motor strength.