Characteristics and influencing factors of pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a focus on symptom management.

PURPOSE: To investigate the characteristics and influencing factors of pain symptoms in ALS patients, provide references for the formulation of pain coping measures in clinical practice.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The research design was a cross-sectional study.ALS patients were investigated using scales such as the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Binary logistic regression equation and multiple linear regression equation were used to analyze the influencing factors of whether occur pain and pain degree in ALS patients.

RESULTS

149 (74.1%) patients had pain symptoms, and 51 (25.4%) patients had pain as the first symptom. Patients with moderate to severe pain accounted for 60.4%. Fatigue, social support, self-efficacy, and poor sleep quality have been associated with whether occur pain in ALS patients. Personality traits, education, fatigue, social support, physical function, and self-efficacy were associated with pain levels in ALS patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Pain is an important indicator of functional decline, which can directly affect the rehabilitation outcome, reduce the quality of life of patients, and is crucial for predicting disease progression and optimizing end-of-life care, which should arouse the full attention of clinical medical personnel and scientific researchers. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen pain intervention in rehabilitation programs.