Mastalgia: Psychological intervention and its impact on quality of life

Background: Mastalgia has been reported as a condition that impacts individual’s activities of daily living and Quality of Life (QOL). The aim of this study was to evaluate impact of mastalgia related pain on QOL. The study also investigated the impact of psychological intervention done at breast clinic on both pain and QOL among patients with mastalgia. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted to identify impact of psychological intervention on QOL among patients with mastalgia. In total 128 participants were recruited from outpatient department of a Tertiary Care hospital in Karachi. The study was conducted over the period of 10 months. The recruited participants were randomly divided into two groups (n=64, each group). Group-I received psychological intervention of 45 minutes whereas, Group-II was considered as a control group. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used for assessing pain. However, QOL was measured by SF-36. Both scales were applied on initial presentation and then after the period of 3 months. Results: Before giving psychological intervention, no statistical difference was noted in pain measured via VAS and QOL measured using SF-36. However, the analysis showed significant difference after giving psychological intervention. The participants in Group-I reported lower level of pain and better QOL when they were assessed after 3 months of psychological intervention in comparison to Group-II. Conclusion: Findings of current study suggested that mastalgia impacts on QOL of patients. Moreover, study findings revealed positive influence of psychological intervention on patients with mastalgia. Therefore, it has been suggested to make psychological intervention as a build in component of treatment if patient presents with no findings on physical examination.