Association of Chronic Pain Severity and NSAID Use with Self-Reported Kidney Risk Indicators: A 1-Year Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain usually results in prolonged use of NSAIDs, thus raising the chance of experiencing self-reported kidney risk indicators. The present study examined the relationships between pain intensity, NSAID-related compliance patterns, and patients' self-reported kidney risk indicators over 12 months. METHODS: A one-year prospective cohort study was conducted involving 300 adults with chronic pain. The parameters of pain severity (Brief Pain Inventory), NSAID adherence behaviour (Medication Adherence Rating Scale), and self-reported kidney risk indicators were evaluated at the start of the study and at 3, 6 and 12 months. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman correlations, and repeated-measures analysis were utilised. RESULTS: During the whole period, the patients who reported the highest pain severity had a strong correlation with a greater risk of NSAID adherence and self-reported kidney risk indicators (p < 0.001). Women exhibited much higher pain severity, adherence risk, and kidney risk compared to men (p < 0.05). The oldest age group (≥ 50 years) received the highest scores for all outcomes. Long-term analysis revealed small but significant increments in pain, adherence risk, and kidney risk over the year (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The association between chronic pain intensity, poor adherence to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and an increase in self-reported kidney risk indicators was observed over time. It is suggested that older people and women might need to receive more frequent checks and also be given the proper instructional material to prevent renal side effects during long-term pain management.