Prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic non-malignant pain–A Danish register-linkage cohort study

Abstract

IntroductionAnxiety and depression disorders are common in patients with chronic pain. Studies using clinical interviews in patients with chronic pain report prevalence rates ranging between 30–54% for depression and 17–29% for anxiety. This is the first study using contacts with a hospital psychiatric ward to investigate prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic pain.ObjectivesEstimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic pain referred for interdisciplinary treatment.AimsTo increase the knowledge about mental disorders and chronic pain in secondary health care.MethodsAll chronic pain patients referred to and treated at an interdisciplinary pain clinic at Odense university hospital, Denmark from 1 Jan 2005–13 Nov 2015 were included as participants. The Danish National Patient Register was used to collect information on contacts with a hospital psychiatric ward 10-year prior to the first contact at the pain clinic due to depression (ICD-10: F32-F33) and/or anxiety (ICD-10: F40-F41).ResultsIn total, 7204 patients (64% women; mean age: 48.2) were included. Altogether, 17.8% (95% CI: 16.9–18.7) of patients had contact to a psychiatric ward. The prevalence of unipolar depression were: 6.1% (95% CI: 5.5–6.6) and anxiety: 2.1% (95% CI: 1.8–2.5), while 0.7% (95% CI: 0.5–0.9) had both depression and anxiety.ConclusionsThe prevalence rates of depression and anxiety noted in this study were lower than those reported in previous studies. A hospital-based diagnosis seems likely to be less frequent than interview-based measures, yet, might have a higher validity due to the clinician-based assessment.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Depression as a mediator of quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain: A cross‐sectional study

“…The bio-psycho-social model of pain attempts to explain the actual experience of pain, viewing it as a dynamic and complex interaction among biological, psychological and social forces (Duenas, Ojeda, Salazar, Mico, & Failde, 2016). The comorbidity of depression and chronic pain has been recognized and the prevalence of depression in patients with chronic pain ranges from 30% to 71% in Europe and West Asia (Al-Maharbi et al, 2018;Martini & Hoffmann, 2018;Sondergard, Vaegter, Erlangsen, & Stenager, 2017;Surah, Baranidharan, & Morley, 2014). Depression is also commonly seen in patients with NeP and the prevalence is reported to range from 35-54% in Western Europe states (Langley, Van Litsenburg, Cappelleri, & Carroll, 2013;Melek, Smith, Karamat, & Renton, 2019).…”

Association between Depression and Mortality in Patients with Pain Conditions: A South Korean Nationwide Cohort Study

“…In a Danish register-linkage cohort study, the prevalence of patients with pain conditions was 6.1% (95% CI, 5.5–6.6), which was slightly higher than that in our study. 20 In addition, the literature shows that the prevalences of depression and AD use in patients with pain conditions have only gradually increased in South Korea. Two factors might account for the lower prevalence of depression in patients with pain conditions in South Korea.…”

“…Two factors might account for the lower prevalence of depression in patients with pain conditions in South Korea. 7 18 19 20 First, we used registered ICD-10 codes of depression with confirmation of diagnosis, not a questionnaire, which would also detect depressive symptoms. Therefore, patients with mild symptoms of depression might have been excluded.…”