Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Quality of life and anxiety and depression symptoms in elderly females with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Several studies look for an isolated relationship between anxiety, depression and quality of life and musculoskeletal pain in the elderly population. However, there are few studies comparing such variables among individuals with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain. This study aimed at evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms levels and quality of life in elderly females with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain.

METHODS:

This is a cross-sectional study carried out with females aged 60 years or above, participants of mothers' clubs of the city of Caxias do Sul/RS. Participants were divided in two groups; group G1 (with chronic musculoskeletal pain) and group G2 (without pain). Beck Anxiety Inventory was used to evaluate anxiety symptoms, Beck II Depression Inventory was used to evaluate depression symptoms and WHOQOL-bref was used to evaluate quality of life.

RESULTS:

Participated in the study 178 elderly females and four were excluded for not meeting all inclusion criteria. From remaining 174, 95 were included in G1 and 79 in G2. G1 has presented higher anxiety (p<0.001) and depression (p<0.001) symptoms levels and worse quality of life (p<0.05) as compared to G2.

CONCLUSION:

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is frequent in the elderly population and is associated to higher incidence of depressive and anxious symptoms, in addition to negatively affecting quality of life.

Keywords:
Anxiety; Chronic pain; Depression; Musculoskeletal pain; Quality of life

RESUMO

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS:

Diversos estudos buscam uma relação isolada entre ansiedade, depressão e qualidade de vida com a dor musculoesquelética em idosos. No entanto, há poucos que comparam essas variáveis entre indivíduos com e sem dores musculoesqueléticas crônicas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os níveis de sintomas de ansiedade e depressão e a qualidade de vida em idosas com dores musculoesqueléticas crônicas e idosas sem dores.

MÉTODOS:

Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado com mulheres com 60 anos ou mais, participantes dos clubes de mães da cidade de Caxias do Sul/RS. As idosas foram divididas em dois grupos, grupo G1 (com dor musculoesquelética crônica) e grupo G2 (sem dor). Para avaliar os sintomas de ansiedade foi utilizado o Inventário de Ansiedade de Beck, para os sintomas depressivos o Inventário de Depressão de Beck II e para a qualidade de vida o WHOQOL-bref.

RESULTADOS:

Participaram do estudo 178 idosas, sendo que 4 idosas foram excluídas por não se adequarem em todos os critérios de inclusão. Das 174 restantes, 95 foram incluídas do grupo G1 e 79 no grupo G2. O grupo G1 apresentou níveis mais elevados de sintomas de ansiedade (p<0,001) e sintomas depressivos (p<0,001) e pior qualidade de vida (p<0,05) que o grupo G2.

CONCLUSÃO:

A dor musculoesquelética crônica é frequente na população idosa e está associada com maior incidência de sintomas depressivos e ansiosos, além de afetar negativamente a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos.

Descritores:
Ansiedade; Depressão; Dor crônica; Dor musculoesquelética; Qualidade de vida

INTRODUCTION

Population above 60 years of age is growing faster than all other age groups11 World Health Organization. Good health adds life to years: global brief for World Health Day 2012. Genebra: 2012. 28p., favoring higher prevalence of functional limitations and chronic diseases typical of human aging. So, there is higher demand for health services due to the need for further health professional assistance, continuous use of drugs and periodic exams22 Veras R. [Population aging today: demands, challenges and innovations]. Rev Saude Publica. 2009;43(3):548-54. English, Portuguese..

Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most frequent chronic diseases during aging33 Mody GM, Brooks PM. Improving musculoskeletal health: global issues. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2012;26(2):237-9., being characterized especially by pain and decreased joint function44 Cimmino MA, Ferrone C, Cutolo M. Epidemiology of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2011;25(2):173-83.,55 Parsons S, Symmons DP. The burden of musculoskeletal conditions. Medicine. 2013;38(3):126:126-8. Disponível em: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1357303909003442
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/art...
. When associated to pain, they are related to worse quality of life (QL) and to high health costs, in spite of the low mortality rate66 Bove SE, Flatters SJL, Inglis JJ, Mantyh, PW. New advances in musculoskeletal pain. Brain Res Rev. 2013;60(1):187-201.. So, musculoskeletal pain is common among the elderly77 Baek S, Lim JY, Lim JY, Park JH, Lee JJ, Lee SB, et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in an elderly Korean population: Results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;51(3):e46-51.,88 Leveille SG, Zhang Y, McMullen W, Kelly-Hayes M, Felson DT. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Pain. 2005;116(3):332-8. and is related to considerable psychological, functional and social limitations88 Leveille SG, Zhang Y, McMullen W, Kelly-Hayes M, Felson DT. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Pain. 2005;116(3):332-8.,99 Tüzün EH. Quality of life in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2007;21(3):567-79.. Anxiety and depression, for example, may be caused by biological, psychic, social and psychological risk factors1010 Vink D, Aartsen MJ, Schoevers RA. Risk factors for anxiety and depression in the elderly: a review. J Affect Disord. 2008;106(1-2):29-44..

In evaluating the impact of musculoskeletal disorders it is important to measure associated problems, which are pain, emotional factors and QL1111 Woolf AD, Vos T, March L. How to measure the impact of musculoskeletal conditions. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24(6):723-32.. Several studies have looked for an isolated relationship between anxiety, depression and QL and musculoskeletal pain in the elderly88 Leveille SG, Zhang Y, McMullen W, Kelly-Hayes M, Felson DT. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Pain. 2005;116(3):332-8.,1212 Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71.

13 Bonnewyn A, Katona C, Bruffaerts R, Haro JM, de Graaf R, Alonso J, et al. Pain and depression in older people: comorbidity and patterns of help seeking. J Affect Disord. 2009;177(3):193-6.

14 Casten RJ, Parmelee PA, Kleban MH, Lawton MP, Katz IR. The relationships among anxiety, depression, and pain in a geriatric institutionalized sample. Pain. 1995;61(2):271-6.

15 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.

16 Chou KL. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression in older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Affect Disord. 2007;102(1-3):115-23.

17 Falsarella GR, Coimbra IB, Neri AL, Barcelos CC, Costallat LT, Carvalho OM, et al. Impact of rheumatic diseases and chronic joint symptoms on quality of life in the elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;54(2):e77-82.

18 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96.

19 Kroenke K, Wu J, Bair MJ, Krebs EE, Damush TM, Tu W. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression: 12-month longitudinal analysis in primary care. J Pain. 2011;12(9):964-73.
-2020 Wranker LS, Rennemark M, Berglund J, Elmstahl S. Relationship between pain and quality of life-Findings from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care. Scand J Pain. 2014;5(4):270-5.. However, there are few studies comparing these variables between individuals with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain, as well as those evaluating the influence of pain intensity on those variables.

So, this study is justified exactly for aiming at evaluating depressive and anxious symptoms and QL among elderly females with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain, and at checking the influence of pain intensity on those variables.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study carried out in the Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio Grande do Sul. Data were collected from February to June 2014.

To select elderly females performing a common social and leisure activity, we decided to apply the study to Mothers' Clubs of the city of Caxias do Sul, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil.

Chronic pain was defined as pain for more than three months2121 Walsh NE, Brooks P, Hazes JM, Walsh RM, Dreinhofer K, Woolf AD, et al. Standards of care for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain: the Bone and Joint Decade (2000-2010). Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89(9):1830-45.. Inclusion criteria were females aged 60 years or more, who were divided in two groups: G1 made up of elderly females with chronic musculoskeletal pain (pain for more than three months) and G2 made up of elderly females without chronic musculoskeletal pain (no pain for more than three months).

Exclusion criteria were elderly females with musculoskeletal pain for less than three months or lack of musculoskeletal pain for less than three months; with Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) cognitive performance <19 (illiterate) and <25 (literate); submitted to surgical procedures in the last six months and with neurodegenerative or oncologic diseases.

The following tools were used:

  • MMSE: evaluates cognitive function and screens for dementia. It was used to exclude elderly females with cognitive deficit. Cutoff point for the diagnosis of dementia for illiterate individuals is 18/19 and for literate 24/252222 Lourenço RA, Veras RP. [Mini-mental state examination: psychometric characteristics in elderly outpatients]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(4)712-9. Portuguese..

  • Socio-demographic questionnaire: developed by the researchers to collect personal, education level and pain complaint data, in addition to exclusive questions.

  • Economic Classification Criteria Brazil 2013 (CCEB): is a tool developed by the Brazilian Association of Survey Companies to classify population as to socio-economic level, using a survey of home characteristics. By means of CCEB, population is divided in classes A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D and E2323 Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa. Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil. São Paulo: 2013. 5p..

  • Visual analog scale (VAS): used to measure pain intensity. It is a 10cm line with descriptive markers on its edges (no pain and worst possible pain). Subjects should mark the line where their pain is located. Then, centimeters are translated into a scale from zero to 10, were ≤3.4 represent mild pain, from 3.5 to 7.4 moderate pain and from ≤7.5 severe pain2424 Boonstra AM, Schiphorst Preuper HR, Balk GA, Stewart RE. Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the visual analogue scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain. 2014;155(12):2545-50..

  • Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II): used to evaluate depression symptoms intensity2525 Beck AT, Steer RA, Ball R, Ranieiri W. Comparison of Beck Depression Inventories - I and II in psychiatric outpatients. J Pers Assess. 1996;67(3):588-97.. The Brazilian version was validated by Gomes-Oliveira et al.2626 Gomes-Oliveira MH, Gorenstein C, Lotufo Neto F, Andrade LH, Wang YP. Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in a community sample. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2012;34(4):389-94.. The questionnaire classifies depression symptoms in minimum/no depression (0-13), mild (14-19), moderate (20-28) and severe (29-63).

  • Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI): used to evaluate anxiety symptoms intensity. It is classified by means of a score obtained by respondents, being 0-7 minimum anxiety, 8-13 mild, 16-25 moderate and 26-3 severe anxiety2727 Beck AT, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer RA. An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988;56(6):893-7.. Our study has used the translated version of the Beck scale validated for the Brazilian population2828 Cunha JA. Manual da versão em português das Escalas Beck. São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo; 2001..

  • WHOQOL-bref: is a questionnaire used to measure QL, validated for Brazil by Fleck et al.2929 Fleck MP, Louzada S, Xavier M, Chachamovich E, Vieira G, Santos L, et al. [Application of the Portuguese version of the abbreviated instrument of quality life WHOQOL-bref]. Rev Saude Publica. 2000;34(2):178-83. Portuguese.. It is made up of 26 questions, being two regarding general QL and remaining questions divided in four domains: physical, psychological, social relations and environment. Domains scores are translated into a 0-100 scale and the higher the score the better the QL3030 Pedroso B. Cálculo dos escores e estatística descritiva do WHOQOL-bref através do Microsoft Excel. Revista Brasileira de Qualidade de Vida [internet]. 2010 jan/jun. [citado em 15 maio 2013]; 2(1)31-6. Disponível em: https://periodicos.utfpr.edu.br/rbqv/article/view/687/0
    https://periodicos.utfpr.edu.br/rbqv/art...
    .

Procedures

Selected elderly females who accepted to participate in the study have first answered MMSE and socio-demographic questionnaires. From them, those matching selection criteria have answered remaining questionnaires in the following order: CCEB, BAI, BDI-II and WHOQOL-bref. In addition, G1 elderly females were asked about regions where they had musculoskeletal pain and have classified each one according to VAS. Pain was divided in: low back pain, neck pain, chest pain, lower limbs pain and upper limbs pain. Criteria for musculoskeletal pain diagnosis were presence of pain or sensitivity in described regions, without oncologic or neurodegenerative diseases and fractures or surgeries less than six month ago.

Study variables were: socio-demographic (age, socio-economic level, marital status and education level), anxiety symptoms level, depression symptoms level, QL, pain and pain intensity.

The program WINPEPI version 11.28 was used for sample calculation with significance level of 5% and power of 80%. As found in the literature, a standard deviation was used in the WHOQOL-bref Environment domain of 9.8 for the group with pain and of 11.6 for the control group, with expected difference of 4.6 between groups in this same score, thus totaling a sample of 174 subjects3131 Hsiej RL, Lee WC, Lo MT, Liao WC. Postural stability in patients with knee osteoarthritis: comparison with controls and evaluation of relationships between postural stability scores and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health components. Arch Phys Med Rehabil [internet]. 2013 fev. [citado em 20 abril 2013]; 94(2): 340-6. Disponível em: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041145
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041...
, being 87 participants in each group3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese..

Statistical analysis

Database was developed in the program Microsoft Office Excel 2007, and analyses were performed with the software SPSS version 17. Significance level was 5%. Qualitative variables were described as absolute frequency and quantitative variables as mean and standard deviation.

Student t test was used to compare age between groups. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare education level and social class between groups and Chi-square test was used to compare marital status between groups.

Student t test was used to compare mean total scores of BAI and BDI-II between groups and Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the same questionnaires by categories. Student t test was used to compare WHOQOL-bref domains and general index of the same questionnaire. In group G1, correlation between VAS and BAI, BDI-II and WHOQOLbref tools was evaluated by Pearson Correlation Coefficient. This study was approved by Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio Grande do Sul and by the Ethics and Research Committee under opinion 479.870.

RESULTS

Participated in the study 178 elderly females of whom 95 belonged to group 1 (G1) and 79 to group 2 (G2). One elderly was excluded due to cognitive deficit according to MMSE, another for being treated for breast cancer and two more for having musculoskeletal pain for less than three months.

G1 age has varied from 60 to 91 years with mean of 70.01±7.76 years. Age group for G2 was the same as G1, with mean of 70.34±8.66 years. There has been no significant difference in age between groups (p=0.791). In both groups, most participants were married, followed by widows (p=0.228). Elderly females of both groups were also not statistically different in social class (p=596) and education level (p=0.693), being that in both groups most elderly females had not completed basic education. Demographic data of both groups are shown in table 1.

Table 1
Comparison of demographic data between groups

Low back pain was the most prevalent complaint among respondents, being reported by 36 participants. Pain intensity by VAS has varied from 3 to 9 with mean of 5.25, characterizing moderate pain. Neck was the second most affected region with report of 27 participants. Pain intensity in the neck has varied from 1 to 10 according to VAS, with mean of 5.48.

The third most affected region was lower limbs, with report of 26 elderly females. Pain intensity in the region has varied from 2 to 8 with mean of 5. Upper limbs pain was reported by 21 individuals and has varied from 2 to 9 in VAS, with mean of 4.4. Least affected region was chest, with 5 reported cases, varying from 3 to 8 with mean of 3.3, characterizing mild pain.

Considering pain intensity alone, regardless of affected region, 22.6% (26 complaints) were mild pain, 65.2% (75 complaints) were moderate and 12.2% (14 complaints) were severe pain.

As to the number of affected regions, 83.16% (79 participants) have reported pain in just one region, 13.68% (13 participants) in two regions, 2.11% (2 participants) in three regions and 1.05% (1 participant) in four regions.

As shown in table 2, G1 elderly females had higher total BAI score as compared to G2, being that mean total score for G1 was 11.17±6.36 and for G2 it was 4.86±3.98 (p<0.001).

Table 2
Comparison of anxiety and depression symptoms levels between groups

In analyzing anxiety symptoms divided in levels, it is observed that G1 had prevalence of minimum anxiety symptoms (73.4% of elderly females), followed by mild anxiety symptoms (25.3% of elderly females) and moderate anxiety in just one case. No G2 participant had severe anxiety symptoms level. In G1, most participants had mild anxiety symptoms level (49.5%), followed by minimum anxiety (29.5%).

Moderate anxiety symptoms level was observed in 18 elderly females (18.9%) and two elderly females had severe anxiety symptoms level (p<0.001).

As to depression symptoms level, table 2 shows that minimum depression symptoms have prevailed in G1, with 55.8%, followed by mild with 23.2%, moderate with 16.8% and severe depression with 4.2%. In G2, most participants had minimum depression symptoms level (94.9%), being that just two participants had moderate depression symptoms level 2.5%) and two mild depression symptoms (2.5%). No G2 participant had severe depression symptoms level (p<0.001).

Notwithstanding the prevalence of minimum depression symptoms in both groups, when mean total BDI-II score was analyzed, it was observed that G1 participants had significantly higher score (higher level of depression symptoms) as compared to G2, being that in G1 mean was 13.14 ± 7.26 and in G2 it was 5.86 ± 4.21, (p<0.001).

As seen in table 3, G1 group had lower total WHOQOLbref scores as compared to G2. Mean total score for G1 was 73.53 ± 9.35 and for G2 it was 82.30 ± 7.62 (p<0.001).

Table 3
Comparison of quality of life between groups

In analyzing WHOQOL-bref separately in domains, it was observed that G1 had lower means as compared to G2 (p<0.05) in all domains.

Table 4 shows that pain intensity had positive correlation with anxiety symptoms levels, being that the more severe the pain, the higher the anxiety symptoms (p<0.001). However, it was not correlated with depression symptoms level (p>0.05).

Table 4
Correlation between quality of life, anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms and pain intensity

There has also been statistical significance in pain intensity correlation with WHOQOL-bref questionnaire physical domain, being that correlation between variables was negative, that is, the higher the pain intensity, the worst the quality of life in the physical domain (p<0.001). Pain intensity was not significantly correlated with remaining questionnaire domains and with total score (p>0.05).

DISCUSSION

Musculoskeletal pain induced by musculoskeletal disorders are highly disabling and frequent in the elderly population, being among the most common chronic diseases of the human aging process33 Mody GM, Brooks PM. Improving musculoskeletal health: global issues. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2012;26(2):237-9.,66 Bove SE, Flatters SJL, Inglis JJ, Mantyh, PW. New advances in musculoskeletal pain. Brain Res Rev. 2013;60(1):187-201.. Studies on the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the elderly have broadly different results1515 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.,1616 Chou KL. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression in older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Affect Disord. 2007;102(1-3):115-23.,2121 Walsh NE, Brooks P, Hazes JM, Walsh RM, Dreinhofer K, Woolf AD, et al. Standards of care for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain: the Bone and Joint Decade (2000-2010). Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89(9):1830-45.,3333 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Duarte YA, Lebrão ML. [Chronic pain among elderly residents in São Paulo, Brazil: prevalence, characteristics, and Association with functional capacity and mobility (SABE study)]. Cad Saude Publica. 2013:29(2):325-34. Portuguese.,3434 Dellaroza MS, Furuya RK, Cabrera MA, Matsuo T, Trelha C, Yamada KN, et al. [Characterization of chronic pain and analgesic approaches among community-dwelling elderly]. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2008;54(1)36-41. Portuguese.. In our study, musculoskeletal pain was very frequent, being that 54.6% of participants had musculoskeletal pain in one or more body regions for more than three months. This result was similar to that found by Dellaroza et al.3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese..

It was observed that groups were not statistically different in age. These results are compatible with other studies which have also not found age as factor associated to chronic pain in the elderly88 Leveille SG, Zhang Y, McMullen W, Kelly-Hayes M, Felson DT. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Pain. 2005;116(3):332-8.,3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.. Similarly, there has been no relationship between chronic musculoskeletal pain and education level3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese., marital status1616 Chou KL. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression in older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Affect Disord. 2007;102(1-3):115-23.,3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.,3434 Dellaroza MS, Furuya RK, Cabrera MA, Matsuo T, Trelha C, Yamada KN, et al. [Characterization of chronic pain and analgesic approaches among community-dwelling elderly]. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2008;54(1)36-41. Portuguese. and socio-economic level3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.,3434 Dellaroza MS, Furuya RK, Cabrera MA, Matsuo T, Trelha C, Yamada KN, et al. [Characterization of chronic pain and analgesic approaches among community-dwelling elderly]. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2008;54(1)36-41. Portuguese., showing that the fact of having or not pain might not be related to variables, as well as the existence of sample homogeneity between groups.

Low back pain was the most prevalent musculoskeletal complain, being reported by 37.9% of elderly females with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which is compatible with the literature as the most frequent complaint among the elderly77 Baek S, Lim JY, Lim JY, Park JH, Lee JJ, Lee SB, et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in an elderly Korean population: Results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;51(3):e46-51.,3333 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Duarte YA, Lebrão ML. [Chronic pain among elderly residents in São Paulo, Brazil: prevalence, characteristics, and Association with functional capacity and mobility (SABE study)]. Cad Saude Publica. 2013:29(2):325-34. Portuguese.,3535 Celick KL, Galon C. Dor crônica em idosos e sua influência nas atividades da vida diária e convivência social. Rev Bras Geriatr Gerontol. 2009;12(13):345-59.,3636 Jones, LD, Pandit H, Lavy C. Back pain in the elderly: a review. Maturitas. 2014;78(4):258-62. Disponível em: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851221400156X
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/art...
. Neck pain was the second most affected region, followed by lower limbs, upper limbs and chest. Based in other studies, it is possible to observe a variation on pain prevalence in these regions77 Baek S, Lim JY, Lim JY, Park JH, Lee JJ, Lee SB, et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in an elderly Korean population: Results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;51(3):e46-51.,1515 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.,3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.,3333 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Duarte YA, Lebrão ML. [Chronic pain among elderly residents in São Paulo, Brazil: prevalence, characteristics, and Association with functional capacity and mobility (SABE study)]. Cad Saude Publica. 2013:29(2):325-34. Portuguese..

With regard to pain intensity, it was possible to observe that most elderly females had moderate pain, followed by mild pain and severe pain. The scarcity of studies evaluating pain intensity, and different tools used to measure it, impair the comparison of results1515 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.,3232 Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.. However, pain intensity may be investigated by VAS, used in this study, by the pain numerical scale and by the verbal evaluation scale. VAS and numerical scale have shown to be more sensitive as compared to verbal scales with less than four categories, thus justifying their choice2424 Boonstra AM, Schiphorst Preuper HR, Balk GA, Stewart RE. Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the visual analogue scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain. 2014;155(12):2545-50..

Our study has shown direct relationship between chronic musculoskeletal pain and higher level of anxiety symptoms, being that G1 had higher anxiety symptoms level in BAI as compared to G2. This difference in anxiety symptoms between groups shows the relationship of musculoskeletal pain and anxiety, confirming previous studies1212 Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71.,1414 Casten RJ, Parmelee PA, Kleban MH, Lawton MP, Katz IR. The relationships among anxiety, depression, and pain in a geriatric institutionalized sample. Pain. 1995;61(2):271-6.,3737 Talvari A, Nemati N, Sini ZK, Golsefidi FN, Varkiani ME. The association of neck pain with depression and anxiety symptoms in elderly. procedia - social and behavioral sciences. World Conference on Psychology and Sociology. Procedia - Social and Behav Scien. 2013;82:366-8..

In the longitudinal study by Arola et al.1212 Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71. the presence of pain in the beginning of the study was a risk factor for developing anxiety in the next three years, as well as the presence of anxious symptoms in the beginning of the study was a risk factor for developing pain in the next three years. In a different study, however, performed with institutionalized elderly, there has been direct relationship between pain and anxiety1414 Casten RJ, Parmelee PA, Kleban MH, Lawton MP, Katz IR. The relationships among anxiety, depression, and pain in a geriatric institutionalized sample. Pain. 1995;61(2):271-6..

In evaluating the correlation between pain intensity, measured by the visual analog scale, and anxiety symptoms level, it was observed in the studied population a positive correlation between both variables, being that the stronger the pain, higher the anxiety symptoms. Similar result was found by Hanssen et al.1818 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96. who have evaluated depressive elderly with chronic and acute pain. In these elderly, chronic pain was strongly associated to anxiety, but there has been no correlation with acute pain intensity1818 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96..

Some studies have evaluated the relationship between anxiety and pain and have observed strong association between variables, suggesting that higher levels of anxiety are related to consequent increase of fear of pain. This fear may generate pain-related behaviors, such as non-use and incapacity3838 El-Gabalawy R, Mackenzie CS, Thibodeau MA, Asmundson GJ, Sareen J. Health anxiety disorders in older adults: conceptualizing complex conditions in late life. Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(8):1096-105.,3939 Ocañez KL, McHugh RK, Otto MW. A Meta-analytic review of the association between anxiety sensitivity and pain. Depress Anxiety. 2010;27(8):760-7..

The highest prevalence of elderly females with depression symptoms (mild, moderate and severe) in this study is in line with other studies which have also found similar relationship between depression and chronic musculoskeletal pain in the elderly1212 Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71.,1313 Bonnewyn A, Katona C, Bruffaerts R, Haro JM, de Graaf R, Alonso J, et al. Pain and depression in older people: comorbidity and patterns of help seeking. J Affect Disord. 2009;177(3):193-6.,1818 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96.,1919 Kroenke K, Wu J, Bair MJ, Krebs EE, Damush TM, Tu W. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression: 12-month longitudinal analysis in primary care. J Pain. 2011;12(9):964-73.,3434 Dellaroza MS, Furuya RK, Cabrera MA, Matsuo T, Trelha C, Yamada KN, et al. [Characterization of chronic pain and analgesic approaches among community-dwelling elderly]. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2008;54(1)36-41. Portuguese.. In the study by Hanssen et al.1818 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96., depressive elderly have reported chronic pain more frequently than nondepressive elderly. The same study points to increased levels of depression both in acute and chronic pain cases. Bonnewyn et al.1313 Bonnewyn A, Katona C, Bruffaerts R, Haro JM, de Graaf R, Alonso J, et al. Pain and depression in older people: comorbidity and patterns of help seeking. J Affect Disord. 2009;177(3):193-6. have evaluated the presence of physical painful symptoms (present at any time in the last 12 months) in elderly with and without major depressive disorder and have concluded that painful physical symptoms were strongly and independently associated to major depression.

On the other hand, the fact that most elderly females had minimum depressive symptoms may be explained by active participation in community groups4040 Borges LJ, Benedetti TR, Xavier AJ, d'Orsi E. [Associated factors of depressive symptoms in the elderly: EpiFloripa study]. Rev Saude Publica. 2013;47(4):701-10. English, Portuguese.

41 Oliveira DA, Gomes L, Oliveira RF. [Prevalence of depression among the elderly population who frequent community centers]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(4):734-6. Portuguese.
-4242 Irigaray TG, Schneider H. Prevalência de depressão em idosas participantes da Universidade para a Terceira Idade. Rev Psiquiatr Rio Gd. Sul. 2007;29(1):19-27. favoring improvements in personal, intellectual, affective and social areas4141 Oliveira DA, Gomes L, Oliveira RF. [Prevalence of depression among the elderly population who frequent community centers]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(4):734-6. Portuguese..

But the higher prevalence of depression symptoms in painful elderly females confirms results of previous studies, thus stressing the existence of a relationship between chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression1212 Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71.,1313 Bonnewyn A, Katona C, Bruffaerts R, Haro JM, de Graaf R, Alonso J, et al. Pain and depression in older people: comorbidity and patterns of help seeking. J Affect Disord. 2009;177(3):193-6.,1818 Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96.,1919 Kroenke K, Wu J, Bair MJ, Krebs EE, Damush TM, Tu W. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression: 12-month longitudinal analysis in primary care. J Pain. 2011;12(9):964-73..

Our study has shown that elderly females with chronic musculoskeletal pain had worse quality of life in all WHOQOLbref domains, as compared to painless elderly females. These results are in line with other studies1515 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.,1717 Falsarella GR, Coimbra IB, Neri AL, Barcelos CC, Costallat LT, Carvalho OM, et al. Impact of rheumatic diseases and chronic joint symptoms on quality of life in the elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;54(2):e77-82.,2020 Wranker LS, Rennemark M, Berglund J, Elmstahl S. Relationship between pain and quality of life-Findings from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care. Scand J Pain. 2014;5(4):270-5..

A study by Wranker et al.2020 Wranker LS, Rennemark M, Berglund J, Elmstahl S. Relationship between pain and quality of life-Findings from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care. Scand J Pain. 2014;5(4):270-5. has shown that pain was the strongest determinant for elderly QL impairment. In a study by Falsarella et al.1717 Falsarella GR, Coimbra IB, Neri AL, Barcelos CC, Costallat LT, Carvalho OM, et al. Impact of rheumatic diseases and chronic joint symptoms on quality of life in the elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;54(2):e77-82. evaluating the influence of rheumatic disorders and chronic joint symptoms in the quality of elderly above 60 years of age, it was observed that rheumatic diseases had stronger influence in physical capacity and pain, and that chronic joint symptoms had influenced all quality of life aspects.

In a study by Cavlak et al.1515 Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303., elderly with musculoskeletal pain had negative health self-perception, while painless elderly had a very good/excellent self-perception. Painful elderly also had more days with worse physical and mental health in a 30-day period as compared to asymptomatic elderly.

In addition to chronic pain having consequences on physical and psychological functioning of affected people, it may directly affect social relations of such individuals. The fact of having pain, added to other possible consequences, such as insomnia, fatigue, loss of physical capacity, locomotion difficulties and anxiety and depression symptoms may more easily lead chronic pain individuals to decrease their leisure activities and social contacts99 Tüzün EH. Quality of life in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2007;21(3):567-79.,1111 Woolf AD, Vos T, March L. How to measure the impact of musculoskeletal conditions. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24(6):723-32.. In our study, the impact of chronic musculoskeletal pain could be observed in the fact that painful elderly had worse QL in social relations and environment domains as compared to painless elderly, difference which existed although all of them had common social activity, which is the participation in mothers' clubs.

CONCLUSION

Our study has concluded that chronic musculoskeletal pain is frequent in the female elderly population and is associated to higher incidence of depressive and anxious symptoms, in addition to negatively affecting quality of life of these individuals. It is believed that further studies are needed with both female and male elderly people for further contribution to health and quality of life of this population.

  • Sponsoring sources: none.

REFERENCES

  • 1
    World Health Organization. Good health adds life to years: global brief for World Health Day 2012. Genebra: 2012. 28p.
  • 2
    Veras R. [Population aging today: demands, challenges and innovations]. Rev Saude Publica. 2009;43(3):548-54. English, Portuguese.
  • 3
    Mody GM, Brooks PM. Improving musculoskeletal health: global issues. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2012;26(2):237-9.
  • 4
    Cimmino MA, Ferrone C, Cutolo M. Epidemiology of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2011;25(2):173-83.
  • 5
    Parsons S, Symmons DP. The burden of musculoskeletal conditions. Medicine. 2013;38(3):126:126-8. Disponível em: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1357303909003442
    » http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1357303909003442
  • 6
    Bove SE, Flatters SJL, Inglis JJ, Mantyh, PW. New advances in musculoskeletal pain. Brain Res Rev. 2013;60(1):187-201.
  • 7
    Baek S, Lim JY, Lim JY, Park JH, Lee JJ, Lee SB, et al. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in an elderly Korean population: Results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;51(3):e46-51.
  • 8
    Leveille SG, Zhang Y, McMullen W, Kelly-Hayes M, Felson DT. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in older adults. Pain. 2005;116(3):332-8.
  • 9
    Tüzün EH. Quality of life in chronic musculoskeletal pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2007;21(3):567-79.
  • 10
    Vink D, Aartsen MJ, Schoevers RA. Risk factors for anxiety and depression in the elderly: a review. J Affect Disord. 2008;106(1-2):29-44.
  • 11
    Woolf AD, Vos T, March L. How to measure the impact of musculoskeletal conditions. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24(6):723-32.
  • 12
    Arola HM, Nicholls E, Mallen C, Thomas E. Self-reported pain interference and symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-dwelling older adults: can a temporal relationship be determined? Eur J Pain. 2010;14(9):966-71.
  • 13
    Bonnewyn A, Katona C, Bruffaerts R, Haro JM, de Graaf R, Alonso J, et al. Pain and depression in older people: comorbidity and patterns of help seeking. J Affect Disord. 2009;177(3):193-6.
  • 14
    Casten RJ, Parmelee PA, Kleban MH, Lawton MP, Katz IR. The relationships among anxiety, depression, and pain in a geriatric institutionalized sample. Pain. 1995;61(2):271-6.
  • 15
    Cavlak U, Yagci N, Bas Aslan U, Ekici G. A new tool measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL): The effects of musculoskeletal pain in a group of older Turkish people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2009;49(2):298-303.
  • 16
    Chou KL. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression in older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Affect Disord. 2007;102(1-3):115-23.
  • 17
    Falsarella GR, Coimbra IB, Neri AL, Barcelos CC, Costallat LT, Carvalho OM, et al. Impact of rheumatic diseases and chronic joint symptoms on quality of life in the elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;54(2):e77-82.
  • 18
    Hanssen DJ, Naarding P, Collard RM, Comijs HC, Oude Voshaaar RC. Physical, lifestyle, psychological, and social determinants of pain intensity, pain disability, and number of pain locations in depressed older adults. Pain. 2014;155(10):2088-96.
  • 19
    Kroenke K, Wu J, Bair MJ, Krebs EE, Damush TM, Tu W. Reciprocal relationship between pain and depression: 12-month longitudinal analysis in primary care. J Pain. 2011;12(9):964-73.
  • 20
    Wranker LS, Rennemark M, Berglund J, Elmstahl S. Relationship between pain and quality of life-Findings from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care. Scand J Pain. 2014;5(4):270-5.
  • 21
    Walsh NE, Brooks P, Hazes JM, Walsh RM, Dreinhofer K, Woolf AD, et al. Standards of care for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain: the Bone and Joint Decade (2000-2010). Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89(9):1830-45.
  • 22
    Lourenço RA, Veras RP. [Mini-mental state examination: psychometric characteristics in elderly outpatients]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(4)712-9. Portuguese.
  • 23
    Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa. Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil. São Paulo: 2013. 5p.
  • 24
    Boonstra AM, Schiphorst Preuper HR, Balk GA, Stewart RE. Cut-off points for mild, moderate, and severe pain on the visual analogue scale for pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain. 2014;155(12):2545-50.
  • 25
    Beck AT, Steer RA, Ball R, Ranieiri W. Comparison of Beck Depression Inventories - I and II in psychiatric outpatients. J Pers Assess. 1996;67(3):588-97.
  • 26
    Gomes-Oliveira MH, Gorenstein C, Lotufo Neto F, Andrade LH, Wang YP. Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in a community sample. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2012;34(4):389-94.
  • 27
    Beck AT, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer RA. An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988;56(6):893-7.
  • 28
    Cunha JA. Manual da versão em português das Escalas Beck. São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo; 2001.
  • 29
    Fleck MP, Louzada S, Xavier M, Chachamovich E, Vieira G, Santos L, et al. [Application of the Portuguese version of the abbreviated instrument of quality life WHOQOL-bref]. Rev Saude Publica. 2000;34(2):178-83. Portuguese.
  • 30
    Pedroso B. Cálculo dos escores e estatística descritiva do WHOQOL-bref através do Microsoft Excel. Revista Brasileira de Qualidade de Vida [internet]. 2010 jan/jun. [citado em 15 maio 2013]; 2(1)31-6. Disponível em: https://periodicos.utfpr.edu.br/rbqv/article/view/687/0
    » https://periodicos.utfpr.edu.br/rbqv/article/view/687/0
  • 31
    Hsiej RL, Lee WC, Lo MT, Liao WC. Postural stability in patients with knee osteoarthritis: comparison with controls and evaluation of relationships between postural stability scores and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health components. Arch Phys Med Rehabil [internet]. 2013 fev. [citado em 20 abril 2013]; 94(2): 340-6. Disponível em: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041145
    » http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23041145
  • 32
    Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Matsuo T. [Prevalence and characterization of chronic pain among the elderly living in the community]. Cad Saude Publica. 2007;23(5):1151- 60. Portuguese.
  • 33
    Dellaroza MS, Pimenta CA, Duarte YA, Lebrão ML. [Chronic pain among elderly residents in São Paulo, Brazil: prevalence, characteristics, and Association with functional capacity and mobility (SABE study)]. Cad Saude Publica. 2013:29(2):325-34. Portuguese.
  • 34
    Dellaroza MS, Furuya RK, Cabrera MA, Matsuo T, Trelha C, Yamada KN, et al. [Characterization of chronic pain and analgesic approaches among community-dwelling elderly]. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2008;54(1)36-41. Portuguese.
  • 35
    Celick KL, Galon C. Dor crônica em idosos e sua influência nas atividades da vida diária e convivência social. Rev Bras Geriatr Gerontol. 2009;12(13):345-59.
  • 36
    Jones, LD, Pandit H, Lavy C. Back pain in the elderly: a review. Maturitas. 2014;78(4):258-62. Disponível em: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851221400156X
    » http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851221400156X
  • 37
    Talvari A, Nemati N, Sini ZK, Golsefidi FN, Varkiani ME. The association of neck pain with depression and anxiety symptoms in elderly. procedia - social and behavioral sciences. World Conference on Psychology and Sociology. Procedia - Social and Behav Scien. 2013;82:366-8.
  • 38
    El-Gabalawy R, Mackenzie CS, Thibodeau MA, Asmundson GJ, Sareen J. Health anxiety disorders in older adults: conceptualizing complex conditions in late life. Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(8):1096-105.
  • 39
    Ocañez KL, McHugh RK, Otto MW. A Meta-analytic review of the association between anxiety sensitivity and pain. Depress Anxiety. 2010;27(8):760-7.
  • 40
    Borges LJ, Benedetti TR, Xavier AJ, d'Orsi E. [Associated factors of depressive symptoms in the elderly: EpiFloripa study]. Rev Saude Publica. 2013;47(4):701-10. English, Portuguese.
  • 41
    Oliveira DA, Gomes L, Oliveira RF. [Prevalence of depression among the elderly population who frequent community centers]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(4):734-6. Portuguese.
  • 42
    Irigaray TG, Schneider H. Prevalência de depressão em idosas participantes da Universidade para a Terceira Idade. Rev Psiquiatr Rio Gd. Sul. 2007;29(1):19-27.

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Oct-Dec 2016

History

  • Received
    01 Apr 2016
  • Accepted
    03 Nov 2016
Sociedade Brasileira para o Estudo da Dor Av. Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves, 937 cj 2, 04014-012 São Paulo SP Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 5904 3959, Fax: (55 11) 5904 2881 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: dor@dor.org.br