BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain is one of the most common conditions found by health professionals in elderly and is associated with substantial impairment of reduced mobility, avoidance of activities, depression, sleep impairment and isolation. The objective of this study was to check the impact of chronic pain on the functionality and the quality of life of the elderly. METHODS: It is a descriptive, cross-sectional and exploratory study with 20 patients attending the Pain Clinic of Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto. Twenty patients under the age of 60 were evaluated by the same instruments for comparative data. The instruments used were a semi-structured interview containing questions about sensory aspects, emotional and functional impact, sleep, attitudes and beliefs, coping style, treatment, expectation and objectives, and resources. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment for Older Adults questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life and, to evaluate the functional capacity of daily life, the OARS, multidimensional functional assessment questionnaire. The pain was assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed between the domains of sensory abilities, autonomy and intimacy (p<0.05) in which the analyzed group presented worse values than the control, while the latter presented worse value in the domain of death and dying. In addition, there was a statistical difference between the groups in the instrumental activity of daily living and between the intensity of pain. The impact of chronic pain on functionality and quality of life of the elderly O impacto da dor crônica na funcionalidade e qualidade de vida de idosos

BACKGROUND: The use of immunosuppressive drugs after liver transplantation (LT) is associated with the development of systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), in addition to other comorbidities of metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the time after use immunosuppressive drugs the patient progresses to SAH, as well as to identify its prevalence and the factors that may be correlated to it. METHODS: A retrospective and longitudinal study was conducted, based on the analysis of medical records of 72 normotensive patients, attended in the transplant unit of a university hospital, between 2016 and 2019. RESULTS: It was observed, on average, 9±6.98 months after immunosuppressive use, the patients were diagnosed with hypertension, and the prevalence of transplanted patients who evolved to SAH in this study was 59.64% (41 patients). In addition, there was a correlation between serum dosage of tacrolimus and the development of SAH (P=0.0067), which shows that tacrolimus has a significant role in the development of SAH. Finally, it was noticed that the development of post-transplantation hypertension indicates a higher risk of the patient presenting the other parameters of metabolic syndrome, as well as a higher impairment in its renal function (P=0.0061). CONCLUSION: This study shows that the patients evolved to SAH in an average of 9±6.98 months after immunosuppressive drug use. We have also found high prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension (59.64%) in patients after liver transplantation, who used calcineurin inhibitors, especially when associated with the use of tacrolimus.

Background: Neuropathic pain (NP) is characterized by chronic pain with a generally strong intensity that leads to limitations regarding activities of daily living. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of B complex vitamins on NP intensity and life quality in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial was conducted among hemodialysis patients with clinical diagnosis of NP randomly allocated to two groups: A (gabapentin) and B (B vitamins). DN4, visual analog scale, and Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form questionnaire were used to identify NP, measure pain intensity, and assess quality of life, respectively. Results: A significant reduction in pain occurred after treatment with gabapentin (P=0.003). In the B group, the reduction of pain went from a mean of 7.27 to 5.09 after treatment (P=0.056). In the A group, a significantly poorer quality of life was reported after treatment in the social relations domain (P=0.010). A significant improvement in quality of life and environment domains (P=0.025 and 0.049, respectively) was reported after use of B vitamins. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that B complex vitamins for the treatment of NP in hemodialysis patients should be investigated further, as this form of treatment contributed to a reduction in pain intensity and suffering with no side effects and at low cost.