• Jelena Drulovic, Vanja Basic-Kes, Sanja Grgic, Slobodan Vojinovic, Evica Dincic, Gordana Toncev, Mira Gavric Kezic, Darija Kisic-Tepavcevic, Irena Dujmovic, Sarlota Mesaros, Svetlana Miletic-Drakulic, and Tatjana Pekmezovic.
• Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
• Pain Med. 2015 Aug 1; 16 (8): 1597-602.

ObjectiveExamination of prevalence, intensity and associations of pain in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).DesignMulticenter, international cross-sectional survey.SettingPatients were recruited from seven MS centers: in Serbia (Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade; Clinic of Neurology, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade; Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center Kragujevac; Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center Nis; Department of Neurology, General Hospital-Uzice), in Republic of Srpska-Bosnia and Herzegovina (Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center Banja Luka) and in Croatia (University Department of Neurology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb).SubjectsSix hundred and fifty consecutive MS patients diagnosed according to the Revised McDonald criteria (2005), from the aforementioned centers, over the period of 6 months.MethodsA semistructured questionnaire was administered during a face-to-face interview with neurologists who also performed Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HARS). To recognize predictive factors for the presence of pain, the linear regression analysis was used.ResultsLifetime prevalence of pain was 66.5% (point prevalence = 44.3%). The prevalence of the comorbidity of pain and depression was 29.1%. Older age (P < 0.001), primary-progressive MS (P = 0.034), higher EDSS score (P = 0.008), higher scores of HDRS (P < 0.001), and HARS (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with pain. Finally, in our multivariate linear regression analysis, anxiety (P < 0.001) was the independent predictor of pain.ConclusionsWe confirmed high prevalence of pain, affecting approximately more than half of patients during the course of MS. Pain in MS is associated with disability, depression and, especially with anxiety, which has significant implications for treatment.Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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