The importance of personality measurement in the assessment of response to treatment for ischaemic rest pain

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between personality and ischaemic rest pain. Twenty-four patients wth peripheral vascular disease unsuitable for surgery and suffering from ischaemic rest pain were treated equally with 14 days of bed rest and intravenous naftidrofuryl and their pain analogue scores and personality structures were analysed. There was a general trend of improvement in their analogue pain scores and patients with high neuroticism (N) and extroversion (E) levels had a better response to treatment, but which only became significant on one occasion when both N and E levels were high. Levels of N and E were compared with those of the normal population both before and after treatment and were found to be similar even after amputation.