Acute and chronic pain in hemophilia

Abstract

The present study compared acute vs. chronic pain in hemophiliac subjects who suffer both types of pain. Characteristics of the acute pain produced by a hemorrhage into a joint and the chronic arthritic pain that results from repeated bleeding episodes were assessed with the McGill Pain Questionnaire and a visual analogue pain intensity scale. The results showed a high degree of similarity in the sensory, affective and evaluative properties of the two types of pain. The main difference between the acute and chronic pains was one of overall intensity, with the acute pain generally being described as more intense. A comparison of the arthritic pain in hemophilia with the pain of other arthritic disorders revealed no major differences. Sources of inter-individual variability were also explored and the results showed that the pain scores in hemophiliac subjects were largely unrelated to demographic and pain history variables. However, significant differences were observed in the way French- and English-speaking subjects described and rated their pain. Irrespective of the origin of their pain, French-speaking subjects characteristically rated their pain as more intense and more affectively laden than the English group. These results demonstrate that ethnocultural factors associated with language affiliation may contribute to inter-individual variation in pain perception.