Cross-sectional study of pain-related variables before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with COPD.
María Granados-Santiago, Javier Martín-Núñez, Alejandro Heredia-Ciuró and 4 others
PMID 35725544WHAT IT FOUND
During the COVID-19 pandemic, stable COPD patients reported higher pain sensitivity, pain interference, dyspnea, and fatigue compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Perceived health status worsened, though anxiety and depression scores did not differ significantly.
Key findings
01Patients reported significantly higher general pain sensitivity, pain intensity, and pain interference during the pandemic compared to before.
02Pressure pain sensitivity increased significantly at all five bilateral body points tested (thumbs, gracilis, subclavian, supraspinous, trapezius) during the pandemic.
03Dyspnea and fatigue perception increased significantly during the pandemic, while FEV1% and other physiological measures remained similar.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (n=24). No healthy control group for comparison. Reliance on self-reported questionnaires which may over/underestimate symptoms. Exclusion of cough and sputum production data. Participants were retired, limiting generalizability to working populations.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that worsening symptoms in COPD patients during stressful periods are due to lung function decline. In this study, FEV1% remained stable while pain, dyspnea, and fatigue increased, suggesting a pronociceptive and psychological component to symptom exacerbation.