This thesis provides robust evidence that pain is a prevalent, burdensome and an apparently important symptom in HD. The prevalence of pain, its detrimental impact on daily activities (pain interference), and subsequently the pain burden, vary, however, across the disease stages and ‘age at symptom onset’ groups of HD. For instance, pain is more prevalent in the late stage of HD and in late-onset HD. In addition, pain interferes with daily activities, in particular in the advanced stages of HD. The pain burden was significantly higher in the manifest stages of HD compared with healthy controls, and even compared to normative data of the general population and patients with chronic pain. Despite the severe pain burden, there seems to be undertreatment, particularly in the advanced stages of HD.
Pain management regimens rely on fundamental knowledge about the effect of HD on pain processing and also on studies enhancing pain assessment in HD. A comprehensive study...
Show moreThis thesis provides robust evidence that pain is a prevalent, burdensome and an apparently important symptom in HD. The prevalence of pain, its detrimental impact on daily activities (pain interference), and subsequently the pain burden, vary, however, across the disease stages and ‘age at symptom onset’ groups of HD. For instance, pain is more prevalent in the late stage of HD and in late-onset HD. In addition, pain interferes with daily activities, in particular in the advanced stages of HD. The pain burden was significantly higher in the manifest stages of HD compared with healthy controls, and even compared to normative data of the general population and patients with chronic pain. Despite the severe pain burden, there seems to be undertreatment, particularly in the advanced stages of HD.
Pain management regimens rely on fundamental knowledge about the effect of HD on pain processing and also on studies enhancing pain assessment in HD. A comprehensive study design was subsequently developed to assess the effect of HD on pain processing and to determine psychometric properties of observational pain scales. The feasibility of the experimental design had first to be tested.
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