Persistent facial pain in post-stroke patients, a hospital-based cohort study; experience from North India
Priya Dev,
Akhilesh Kumar Singh,
Devesh Kumar,
Mareena Cyriac,
Varun Kumar Singh,
Anand Kumar,
Rameshwar Nath Chaurasia,
Vijaya Nath Mishra,
Deepika Joshi,
Abhishek Pathak
Affiliations
Priya Dev
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Akhilesh Kumar Singh
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Devesh Kumar
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Mareena Cyriac
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Varun Kumar Singh
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Anand Kumar
Department of Neurology Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Rameshwar Nath Chaurasia
Department of Neurology Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Vijaya Nath Mishra
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Deepika Joshi
Department of Neurology Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Abhishek Pathak
Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India; Corresponding author.
Background: Post-stroke pain is common after a stroke and might be underreported. We describe Persistent Facial Pain (PFP) developed in post-stroke patients. Method: ology: This was a prospective hospital-based cohort study of stroke patients, and patients were followed up. Out of 415 stroke patients, 26 developed PFP. Result: Out of all PFP patients, six patients had an ischemic stroke, and 20 had a hemorrhagic stroke. 57.7% of patients had hypertension, while 34.6 patients had diabetes. The stroke location was left-sided in 12 patients and right-sided in 14 patients. 46.15% of patients responded to venlafaxine, 30.77% responded to amitriptyline, and 23.08% responded to pregabalin. Conclusion: Persistent facial pain is a pain syndrome that might be missed in patients post-stroke. It might be more common in hemorrhagic stroke patients than in ischemic stroke patients. It responds adequately to antidepressants. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose and appropriately manage these patients.
