Pain and physical and psychological symptoms in ambulatory HIV patients in the current treatment era

ContextHIV infection has become a manageable chronic disease. There are few studies of pain and symptoms in the current treatment era.ObjectivesOur primary objective was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for pain and physical and psychological symptoms in a population of ambulatory HIV patients.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study using the Brief Pain Inventory and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form (MSAS).ResultsWe evaluated 156 individuals with a median age of 47.5 years (range 21–71), median time since HIV diagnosis of 11 years (range <1 to 25), and median CD4+ cell count of 502 cells/mm³ (interquartile range [IQR] 308–683). Most (125, 80.6%) of the patients had an undetectable viral load. Seventy-six (48.7%) patients reported pain, of whom 39 (51.3%) had moderate to severe pain, and 43 (57.3%) had pain that caused moderate to severe interference with their lives. The median number of symptoms was eight (IQR 5–14.5) of 32 queried. In multivariable analyses, patients with psychiatric illness were 39.8% more likely to have pain (P < 0.001). Psychiatric illness was associated with 0.7 and 1.2 point higher MSAS subscale scores, and IV drug use was associated with 0.4 and 0.5 higher subscale scores (out of four).ConclusionPain and other physical and psychological symptoms were common among ambulatory HIV patients. Pain and symptoms were strongly associated with psychiatric illness and IV drug use. Future investigation should evaluate interventions that include psychiatric and substance abuse components for HIV patients with pain.     

Pain among ambulatory HIV/AIDS patients: multicenter study of prevalence, intensity, associated factors, and effect

This study aimed to determine the prevalence, intensity, associated factors, and effect of pain among ambulatory HIV/AIDS patients. Three-hundred two adult ambulatory HIV/AIDS patients were consecutively recruited from HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics at 2 teaching hospitals in Uganda. The presence and intensity of pain were self-reported using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI); symptom data were collected using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS-SF); and quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the Medical Outcome Scale-HIV. Forty-seven percent reported pain in the 7 days prior to the survey and pain was a symptom at the time of diagnosis for 68%. On the 0 to 10 numeric scale, 53% reported mild pain (1-4 rating), 20% reported moderate pain (5-6 rating) while 27% reported severe pain (7-10 rating). Gender was not associated with pain intensity, but reduced functional performance, increasing number of symptoms, advanced HIV disease , physical symptom distress (MSAS-SF), and number of health comorbidities were significantly associated with pain intensity (P < .04). Increasing pain intensity was associated with greater functional ability impairment (BPI functional interference index) and poorer QOL. Pain is a common symptom among ambulatory HIV/AIDS patients and has a debilitating effect on QOL. There is a significant unmet need for pain relief in the population. PERSPECTIVE: This article discusses the characteristics and effect of pain on function and QOL in East African patients. It also contributes information on characteristics of HIV/AIDS adult patients in the East Africa demonstrating the aspects in which pain is similar across different cultures.     

A pilot survey of aberrant drug-taking attitudes and behaviors in samples of cancer and AIDS patients

The clinical assessment of drug-taking behaviors in medically ill patients with pain is complex and may be hindered by the lack of empirically derived information about such behaviors in particularly medically ill populations. To investigate issues surrounding the assessment of these behaviors, we piloted a questionnaire based on the observations of specialists in pain management and substance abuse. This preliminary questionnaire evaluated medication use, present and past drug abuse, patients' beliefs about the risk of addiction in the context of pain treatment, and aberrant drug-taking attitudes and behaviors. This instrument was piloted in a mixed group of cancer patients (N = 52) and a group of women with HIV/AIDS (N = 111). Reports of past drug use and abuse were more frequent than present reports in both groups. Current aberrant drug-related behaviors were seldom reported, but attitude items revealed that patients would consider engaging in aberrant behaviors, or would possibly excuse them in others, if pain or symptom management were inadequate. Aberrant behaviors and attitudes were endorsed more frequently by the women with HIV/AIDS than by the cancer patients. Patients greatly overestimated the risk of addiction in pain treatment. We discuss the significance of these findings and the need for cautious interpretation given the limitations of the methodology. This early experience suggests that both cancer and HIV/AIDS patients appear to respond in a forthcoming fashion to drug-taking behavior questions and describe attitudes and behaviors that may be highly relevant to the diagnosis and understanding management of substance use among patients with medical illness.     

Development of a cancer pain prognostic scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a Cancer Pain Prognostic Scale (CPPS) which could predict the likelihood of pain relief within 2 weeks for cancer patients with moderate to severe pain. Seventy-four (74) consecutive patients who presented with cancer-related pain were managed in accordance with the guidelines for pain management developed by the United States Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). Patients were followed weekly using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and medications were recorded weekly for 3 weeks. Baseline scores from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G), Mental Health Inventory (MHI), Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form (MSAS-SF) at initial interview served as explanatory variables in a logistic regression model. Pain relief > or = 80% at the end of weeks 1 and 2 were used as outcomes in this model. From this analysis, we developed a predictive formula, the CPPS, which includes the worst pain severity, FACT-G emotional well being, daily opioid dose, and pain characteristics. The rule yields a numerical score that ranges from 0-17. Higher scores correspond to a higher probability of good pain relief. The CPPS has the potential to rapidly identify patients with poor pain prognosis. It can be used as a research tool to characterize pain in cancer patients.     

Validation of the Brief Pain Inventory for chronic nonmalignant pain.

The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI; Cleeland and associates) has been used primarily to assess patients with cancer-related pain. Although it has been validated in many languages and is widely used, there has not yet been research published to validate its use for patients with chronic nonmalignant pain as the primary presenting problem. This study was designed to fill this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the BPI in 440 patients with chronic intractable pain referred to a chronic pain clinic at a metropolitan tertiary-care teaching hospital. Results indicated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach alpha coefficients were.85 for the intensity items and.88 for the interference items). A factor analysis resulted in 2 distinct and independent factors, supporting the validity of the 2-factor structure of the BPI. Zero-order correlations indicated that the association with a measure of disability (the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire [RMDQ]) was significantly higher for BPI interference (r = 0.57) than for BPI intensity (r = 0.40, t = 5.71, P <.01) and that the correlation with BPI interference was not more than 0.80, supporting the conclusion that these scales assess related, but also distinct, dimensions. Finally, the finding that both BPI scales showed statistically significant improvement with treatment confirms the responsivity of BPI in detecting and reflecting improvement in pain over time. PERSPECTIVE: This paper validated the psychometric properties of a pain Assessment instrument (The Brief Pain Inventory) originally developed to assess cancer pain and extended its use for the chronic nonmalignant pain population. This provides an important and widely used diagnostic tool for the clinician treating chronic pain.     

Cancer breakthrough pain characteristics and responses to treatment at a VA medical center

The purpose of this study is to analyze cancer breakthrough pain (BP) characteristics and how BP responds to conventional cancer pain management. Seventy-four cancer pain patients with worst pain severity >or=4 out of 10 completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form, Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy and Breakthrough Pain Questionnaires (BPQ) at an initial interview. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) cancer pain management guidelines were followed. Pain syndromes and morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) orally were determined. One-week follow-up assessments were obtained in 66 patients with BPI and BPQ. The BP characteristics were similar at both time points. On day 1, 52 patients (70%) had BP, and the BP was unpredictable in 30 patients (58%). The median time to worst BP severity was 3 min. Patients with BP had significantly higher worst pain (P<0.001). At week 1, the median MEDD doubled from 60 to 120 mg orally, and the number of patients who received adjuvant analgesics doubled from 31.1% (23 patients) on day 1 to 62.2% (41 patients). At week 1, 21 patients (32%) remained without BP, 21 patients (32%) were classified as BP responders and 24 patients (36%) were BP non-responders. The mean pain relief was similar for all three subgroups, i.e. around 80%. Compared to BP responders, BP non-responders had significantly higher worst pain (P<0.0001), average pain (P<0.004), and higher BPI interference parameters and shorter time to worst pain severity. The study confirmed the applicability of the BPQ to an US veteran population, and that pain management following the AHCPR guidelines is effective for a group of patients with cancer related BP. Underlying pain syndromes and the BP location may influence the response of BP to treatment. Patients with bone pain located in the spine, back, and pelvis may be at risk for resistant BP.     

Long‐term efficacy and safety of combined prolonged‐release oxycodone and naloxone in the management of non‐cancer chronic pain

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess safety and efficacy of fixed combination oxycodone prolonged release (PR)/naloxone PR in terms of both analgesia and improving opioid‐induced bowel dysfunction (OIBD) and associated symptoms, such as opioid‐induced constipation (OIC), in adults with chronic non‐cancer pain. Study design: These were open‐label extension studies in which patients who had previously completed a 12‐week, double‐blind study received oxycodone PR/naloxone PR for up to 52 weeks. The analgesia study assessed pain using the modified Brief Pain Inventory‐Short Form (BPI‐SF). The bowel function study assessed improvements in constipation using the Bowel Function Index (BFI). Results: At open‐label baseline in the analgesia study (n = 379), mean score [± standard deviation (SD)] for the BPI‐SF item ‘average pain over the last 24 h’ was 3.9 ± 1.52, and this remained low at 6 months (3.7 ± 1.59) and 12 months (3.8 ± 1.72). Mean scores for BPI‐SF item ‘sleep interference’, and the BPI‐SF ‘pain’ and ‘interference with activities’ subscales also remained low throughout the 52‐week study. In the bowel function study (n = 258), mean BFI score (± SD) decreased from 35.6 ± 27.74 at the start of the extension study to 20.6 ± 24.01 after 12 months of treatment with oxycodone PR/naloxone PR. Pain scores also remained low and stable during this study. Adverse events in both extension phases were consistent with those associated with opioid therapy; no additional safety concerns were observed. Conclusion: Results from these two open‐label extension studies demonstrate the long‐term efficacy and tolerability of fixed combination oxycodone PR/naloxone PR in the treatment of chronic pain. Patients experienced clinically relevant improvements in OIBD while receiving effective analgesic therapy.     

Conversion from standard opioid therapy to once-daily oral extended-release hydromorphone in patients with chronic cancer pain

This open-label, multicenter study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of conversion to once-daily OROS hydromorphone from previous opioid agonist therapy in patients with chronic cancer pain. Patients were stabilized on their previous therapy before conversion at a 5:1 ratio of morphine sulfate to hydromorphone hydrochloride. The OROS hydromorphone dose was titrated over 3 - 21 days to achieve effective analgesia and was maintained for up to 14 days. Efficacy was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Adverse events and vital signs were monitored. Dose stabilization was achieved in 119 of the 127 (94%) patients who received the study medication; in 77%, stabilization was achieved with no titration steps. Mean BPI pain intensity ratings and BPI pain interference scores decreased significantly after OROS hydromorphone treatment compared with pretreatment values. Mean pain-relief level remained stable after conversion and throughout treatment with OROS hydromorphone. Adverse events were as expected for cancer patients receiving opioid agonists. There were no clinically significant changes in vital signs.     

Physician attitudes toward opioid prescribing for patients with persistent noncancer pain

OBJECTIVES: Physicians frequently express dissatisfaction about caring for patients with chronic pain and frequently report that inadequate training and concern about addiction are impediments to prescribing opioids. Elderly patients with chronic pain may be at increased risk of experiencing uncontrolled pain and this patient population is increasingly being cared for by geriatricians rather than internists. We sought to determine if there is a differential impact on internists and geriatricians of the factors that adversely affect attitudes toward opioid prescribing. METHODS: Anonymous survey of geriatric and internal medicine physicians at a large urban academic medical center about their beliefs and behaviors regarding opioid prescribing. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-two of 187 physicians completed the survey for an overall response rate of 71%. Controlling for level of training, internists were more likely to be concerned about illegal diversion (adjusted odds ratio=10.0, P=0.004), were more concerned about causing addiction (38% vs. 0%, P<0.001), and were more likely to be concerned about their inability to prescribe the correct opioid dose (adjusted odds ratio=11.1, P=0.020). DISCUSSION: Factors shown to have an adverse affect on opioid prescribing disproportionately impact on the attitudes of internists compared with geriatricians. Further research is needed to determine if there is also a differential impact on how internists care for their elderly patients with chronic pain.     

Validation of a modified version of the brief pain inventory for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Neuropathic pain is the focus of current clinical research, clinical identification, and treatment. It is unique from nociceptive pain and requires evaluation of the relevance and utility of common pain measures created for other painful conditions. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a modified Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) for patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (BPI-DPN). Participants were patients with painful DPN (n=255) enrolled in a DPN Burden of Illness survey referred through 17 outpatient settings (primary care physicians, endocrinologists, neurologists, and anesthesiologists). Patients completed the BPI-DPN, and self-report measures of health-related quality of life, mood sleep, and healthcare utilization. Construct, criterion and discriminant validity, and internal consistency reliability were evaluated. Principal axis factoring with oblimin rotation revealed two interpretable factors (eigenvalues>1.0), consistent with most published BPI validation studies; a severity scale comprising the four BPI Severity items and an interference scale comprising the seven Interference items, which satisfied criteria for interpretability and model fit. Cronbach's alpha was high (0.94) for both scales. Mean pain Severity was highly correlated with Bodily Pain from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12, version 2 (rs=0.63, P < 0.001), the Pain/Discomfort item in the Euro-QoL (rs=0.58, P < 0.001), and a verbal rating scale measure of pain severity (rs=0.74, P < 0.001). Individual BPI-DPN Interference domains were moderately correlated (rs's >0.5, P < 0.001) with analogous measures, and the Sleep Interference item had a high, significant association with the three primary Medical Outcome Study-Sleep scale subscales (rs's=0.66-71, P < 0.001). Worst Pain and Interference ratings were significantly associated with hospital utilization and outpatient visits due to DPN. These results replicate, in a pure peripheral neuropathic pain condition, the BPI psychometric characteristics documented in populations with nociceptive or mixed pain conditions. The BPI-DPN is a promising instrument in the evaluation of painful DPN.     

Comparative responsiveness of pain measures in cancer patients

Brief measures to assess and monitor pain in cancer patients are available, but few head-to-head psychometric comparisons of different measures have been reported. Baseline and 3-month data were analyzed from 274 patients enrolled in the Indiana Cancer Pain and Depression (INCPAD) trial. Participants completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the PEG (a 3-item abbreviated version of the BPI), the short form (SF)-36 pain scale, and a pain global rating of change measure. The global rating was used as the criterion for standardized response mean and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. To assess responsiveness to the trial intervention, we evaluated standardized effect size statistics stratified by trial arm. All measures were responsive to global improvement, discriminated between participants with and without improvement, and detected a significant intervention treatment effect. Short and longer measures were similarly responsive. Also, composite measures that combined pain severity and interference into a single score (BPI total, PEG, SF-36 pain) performed comparably to separate measures of each domain (BPI severity and BPI interference). PERSPECTIVE: Pain measures as brief as 2 or 3 items that provide a single score are responsive in patients with cancer-related pain. Ultra-brief measures offer a valid and efficient means of assessing and monitoring pain for the clinical management as well as research of cancer-related pain.     

The reliability and validity of pain interference measures in persons with cerebral palsy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability and validity of 2 measures of pain interference in persons with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: Standardized interviews to assess pain and impact of pain on activities. SETTING: University medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty adults with CP. INTERVENTIONS: Patients asked to rate pain's intensity, interference with general activities, and depression levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain interference scales: Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI); rating of disability: Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART); rating of depression: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. RESULTS: Mean interference of pain on 3 CPG items (pain interference with daily activities, social activities, work) were 1.74 +/- 2.45, 1.06 +/- 2.05, and.89 +/- 1.84 (out of 10), respectively. Mean interference on 10 modified BPI interference items ranged from 2.28 +/- 3.01 to 3.67 +/- 3.15 (out of 10). The composite CPG interference score did not correlate significantly with pain intensity. However, the composite BPI interference score did correlate significantly with pain intensity (r = .66, P < .01). There was no significant association shown between average pain and the CHART score (r = -.21, NS). Pain showed a significant association with CES-D score (r = .45, P < .05). Internal consistency of the 3 CPG items was inadequately low (Cronbach alpha = .59), whereas that of the 10 BPI items was excellent (.89). CONCLUSIONS: The pain interference items of the BPI serve as a reliable and valid measure of pain's impact on persons with CP-related pain.     

The validity and utility of the BPI interference measures for evaluating the impact of osteoarthritic pain

The psychometric properties of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), a widely used measure of pain and its impact on functioning, were assessed using data from two clinical trials of controlled-release oxycodone in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Specifically, the pain-related functional interference subscale and the sleep item from that subscale were examined. In Study 1 (n = 133), "night awakenings with pain" was positively correlated with the BPI interference score and sleep item and both correlated negatively with "quality of sleep." In Study 2 (n = 107), pain experienced "at night while in bed" correlated higher with sleep interference than with the BPI interference subscale. Intraclass correlations denoted adequate test-retest reliability; moderate-to-large Guyatt's statistics provided evidence of responsiveness. These analyses address a gap in the literature regarding the psychometric properties of the BPI interference measures in noncancer pain patients, confirming their reliability, validity, and responsiveness as potential endpoints in trials of pain medications involving patients with OA.     

Validation of the German version of the Brief Pain Inventory.

The Brief Pain Inventory is a comprehensive instrument for pain assessment and has been validated in several languages. A validated German version was not available until now. From March to May 1995 all outpatients of the pain clinic of the Department of Anesthesiology completed a questionnaire with the German versions of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the SF-36 quality-of-life questionnaire. The BPI was repeated after the consultation. The physician assessed the performance status score of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). The questionnaire was completed by 151 patients. Forty-two patients were excluded from evaluation for methodological reasons, so 109 patients were evaluated. As in the original version of the BPI, factor analysis showed a common factor for pain intensity and a second factor for pain-related interference with function. The comparative fit index of 0.86 confirmed this model. Responses before and after consultation correlated closely for the sum scores of the pain intensity items (Perarson correlation r = 0.976) as well as for the interference with function items (r = 0.974). Pain intensity in the BPI correlated with bodily pain in the SF-36 (r = 0.585). Sum scores of the pain interference items were higher in patients with deteriorated ECOG performance status, whereas sum scores of the intensity items were not changed. Validity and reliability of the German BPI were comparable to the original version. The BPI may be advantageous for palliative care patients, as it places only a small burden on the patient and offers easy criteria for evaluation. However, further research is needed to differentiate the impact of pain-related and disease-related interference with function on the BPI, and to find an algorithm for the evaluation of the BPI when values are missing.