Pain in Patients with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: Association with Anxiety and Depression

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We investigate the presence and the quality of pain in patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), and its correlation with the level of anxiety and depression. METHODS: We collected data from 27 DEB patients and 26 healthy individuals. DEB patients and controls completed 1 scale for the quality of pain, and 1 scale for anxiety and depression. Pain was assessed with the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, whereas anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety and depression. RESULTS: DEB patients and healthy control individuals were homogeneous for age and gender (p>0.05). A statistically significant difference in the two groups was seen for sensory pain rating scale (p0.05), whereas a slight correlation between pain and anxiety was found in healthy controls (p0.05), but was between the DEB dominant and the recessive form of DEB (p=0.025). CONCLUSION: The perception of pain in DEB patients appears greater than in healthy individuals, with splitting and tender characteristics being the most significant ones, but was not associated with anxious and/or depressive symptoms.