Pain in fibrous dysplasia of bone: age-related changes and the anatomical distribution of skeletal lesions

To determine the prevalence, distribution, age-related changes and treatment of pain in fibrous dysplasia, we studied 78 children and adults. Pain was common, more prevalent and intense in adults, sometimes requiring narcotic analgesia. It was often untreated, especially in children, and surprisingly severity did not correlate with skeletal disease burden. Introduction Pain is common in fibrous dysplasia (FD), but relatively unstudied. We studied a well-characterized population of patients with a spectrum of disease. Methods Thirty-five children (16 male, 19 female, mean age 11.4 (range 5-18)) and 43 adults (15 male, 28 female, 23-62 yrs, mean age 40.3 (range 23-62)) were studied. Bone scans were used to identify the location and extent of disease. The Brief Pain Inventory was used to determine severity. Results Pain at sites of FD was common, reported by 67% of the population, but more prevalent and severe in the adult group than the children (81% and 49%, respectively p < 0.005, severity 4.1/10, and 2.8/10, respectively, p < 0.01). Surprisingly, there was no correlation between pain severity and skeletal disease burden. Children were more likely than adults to be untreated for pain (44% vs. 26%). Conclusions Pain, which was sometimes severe, was common in subjects with FD. It was often un- or under-treated, especially in children. The prevalence and severity of pain was greater in the adult group, but unrelated to the burden of FD.