Quality of life in chronic trigeminal neuralgia patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating painful condition found in some patients. It is classified as neuropathic episodic pain, reported as “electric shock”, “burning” and/or “tingling”. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of trigeminal neuralgia on quality of life and its association with pain duration. METHODS: Participated in the study 20 patients above 40 years of age, who were divided in two groups. Group I was was comprised of 10 trigeminal neuralgia patients and group II of healthy painless patients. All patients have filled a visual analog scale about pain severity and the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire about quality of life. Group I patients were also asked about time of pain onset. Data were recorded and submitted to statistical analysis (Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney tests). RESULTS: Trigeminal neuralgia significantly and negatively impacts quality of life (p≤0.01). However, neither pain intensity nor pain duration seem to be associated with this result. CONCLUSION: Trigeminal neuralgia negatively impacts quality of life regardless of pain intensity.