Generic pain intensity scores are affected by painful comorbidity

Aims: To determine the degree to which the generic pain intensity rating (i e, overall and without reference to a particular body site) of facial pain patients being seen in a specialty setting for facial pain is influenced by painful comorbidity in body parts other than the face. Methods: In this pr ospective study, 40 consecutive female temporomandibular pain patients rate d their generic pain on a 100-mm visual analog scale. After marking all pai nful body sites on pain drawings, patients were asked to rate the pain inte nsity for each of the indicated pain sites; the patients did not have acces s to the generic pain intensity score. Pearson's correlation coefficient wa s used to correlate the generic pain intensity score with site-specific pai n intensity ratings, their mean and maximum, and the number of pain sites. Results: The medians of the generic, maximum, and facial pain intensity sco res were 49.5, 53, and 45.5, respectively. The generic pain intensity ratin g correlated more highly with the intensity scores I reported for the most painful body site (r(2) = 0.82; P < 0.001) than with the average rating acr oss all painful sites (r(2) = 0.62; P < 0.001), or the pain intensity sore in the face (r(2) = 0.61; P < 0.001). The number of pain sites did not corr elate to any statistically significant degree with the generic pain intensi ty rating (r(2) = 0.006; P = 0.65). Conclusion: The results of this study s uggest that the maximum visual analog scale pain intensity score, observed in any body location, is a better reflection of the generic pain intensity rating than the corresponding score of the face. To avoid overrating or und errating of facial pain intensity, patients should be instructed to provide site-specific pain intensity scores if painful comorbidity is present.