Incidence and risk factors of chronic pain following hysterectomy among Southern Jiangsu Chinese Women

BACKGROUND Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) after hysterectomy has been recognized as a major clinical problem in the Western World. Reports on post-hysterectomy pain are relatively scarce in China. The aim of the current study was to prospectively investigate the incidence and the potential risk factors of CPSP at 3 months following hysterectomy in Chinese population. METHODS We assessed and collected data on preoperative socio-demographic characteristics, preexisting pain, anxiety and depression, sexual satisfaction, intra-operative variables, and acute postoperative pain intensity in a cohort of 870 women undergoing hysterectomy. The participants were interviewed to determine their suitability to diagnostic criteria of CPSP 3 months later. Logistic regression analyses were subsequently performed to identify predictors for CPSP. RESULTS The incidence of CPSP at 3 months after hysterectomy was 27.7%. Most of the women with CPSP suffered from mild pain and had a slight impact on daily life with sleep and emotion functional limitation. Risk factors for CPSP after hysterectomy were preoperative anxiety, depression, pelvic pain, preexisting pain, very-moderate sexual dissatisfaction, and acute postoperative pain at movement. Intra-operative dexmedetomidine infusion with 0.5 μg/kg/h was associated with a decreased incidence rate of chronic post-hysterectomy pain. CONCLUSION Twenty-eight percent of patients after hysterectomy in southern Jiangsu china had CPSP with 92% of those women describing it as mild with sleep and emotion functional limitation. Patients with preoperative anxiety and depression, poor sexual satisfaction, preexisting pain, and acute postoperative pain on movement have been identified to be at risk to develop CPSP.