Evolution of patients with chronic pain undergoing standard treatment - a prospective longitudinal followup study

Sep 29, 2026

Chronic pain substantially degrades quality of life and is intertwined with psychological functioning, making targeted clinical and mental health management necessary. This prospective longitudinal study describes clinical and psychological changes in individuals with chronic pain receiving standard multidisciplinary care, assessing pain intensity alongside quality of life, sleep disorders, stress, anxiety, and depression. Among 134 participants, 58.2% achieved a clinically significant 30% pain reduction and overall improvements were observed in quality of life, sleep, anxiety, and depressive symptoms; having a partner related to pain reduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Type of research

Participants and procedures

Results

Conclusion

Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology 2026;76(1): 844700 ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION Evolution of patients with chronic pain undergoing standard treatment: a prospective longitudinal followup study Camila Cavalcante Castro a,* , Sandro Max C. Silva b, Martha Moreira C. Castro c, Durval Campos Kraychete a, Carla Daltro a a Universidade Federal da Bahia, Postgraduate Program in Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, BA, Brazil b Universidade Federal da Bahia, Postgraduate Program in Integrative Processes of Organs and Systems, Salvador, BA, Brazil c Universidade Federal da Bahia, Multidisciplinary Institute of Rehabilitation and Health, Salvador, BA, Brazil Received 19 March 2025; accepted 23 October 2025 Available online 1 November 2025 KEYWORDS Anxiety; Chronic pain; Clinical evolution; Depression; Pain measurement ABSTRACT Introduction: Chronic pain greatly affects quality of life and, consequently, impacts the psychological state, a condition that needs to be addressed. A 30% reduction in pain intensity is clinically signiﬁcant. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical and psychological aspects of individuals with chronic pain undergoing standard treatment. Methods: Descriptive longitudinal study involving individuals with chronic pain undergoing treatment at the Pain Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of Bahia, in Salvador, Bahia, between June 2016 and December 2017 . The variables studied were pain intensity, quality of life, sleep disorders, stress level, and the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms. Descriptive statistics were performed, and Student’s t-test, and Fisher’s Chi-Square test were used to compare the groups. Results: We studied 134 individuals with a mean (standard deviation) age of 50 (10) years, 89.6% of whom were female. There was an improvement in quality of life and sleep, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and 58.2% of patients showed a 30% reduction in pain intensity. Among the factors associated with pain reduction, having a partner was a signiﬁcant factor (73.7% vs. 52.1%; p = 0.030) . However, symptoms of anxiety (81.6% vs. 75.0%; p = 0.436), symptoms of depression (63.2% vs. 58.3%; p = 0.718), and stress (92.1% vs. 87.5%; p = 0.846) were not associated with pain reduction. Conclusion: This study suggests that multidisciplinary treatment can reduce pain intensity in chronically affected patients, as most patients exhibited a clinically signiﬁcant response, accompanied by global improvement. © 2025 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ([http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) ). * Corresponding author. E-mail: [camilaccastro3@gmail.com](camilaccastro3@gmail.com) (C.C. Castro). [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjane.2025.844700](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjane.2025.844700) 0104-0014/© 2025 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ([http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)). Introduction In 2020, a task force comprised of members of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed the pathophysiological and research concepts of pain. They added that pain is an individual perception, the report of which must be respected and is directly associated to each person ’s life experiences.1 It is estimated that, worldwide, around 60 million people suffer from chronic pain, corresponding to 10% of the global population, with lower back pain being the most prevalent location, followed by headaches. In contrast, a systematic review revealed that approximately 45.6% of the Brazilian population suffers from the same condition, representing around 95 million people, and this condition is more prevalent in the Central-West

FAQs

What was the main objective of the study?

To describe the clinical and psychological aspects and evolution of individuals with chronic pain undergoing standard treatment over time.

Which outcomes were measured in the longitudinal follow-up?

Pain intensity, quality of life, sleep disorders, stress level, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed at multiple time points.

How many participants achieved a clinically significant reduction in pain intensity?

58.2% of patients showed a 30% reduction in pain intensity.

Sep 29, 2026

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