Hierarchical clustering by patient-reported pain distribution alone identifies distinct chronic pain subgroups differing by pain intensity, quality, and clinical outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In clinical practice, the bodily distribution of chronic pain is often used in conjunction with other signs and symptoms to support a diagnosis or treatment plan. For example, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia involves tallying the areas of pain that a patient reports using a drawn body map. It remains unclear whether patterns of pain distribution independently inform aspects of the pain experience and influence patient outcomes. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of patterns of pain distribution using an algorithmic approach agnostic to diagnosis or patient-reported facets of the pain experience.

Methods and findings

A large cohort of patients (N = 21,658) completed pain body maps and a multi-dimensional pain assessment. Using h

SUBMITTER: Alter BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8336800 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature