Objective: To study the effect of reassurance and proper mechanical support on quality of life (QOL) and visual analogue score (VAS) pain assessment in patients with mastalgia at a range of follow-ups.
Materials and methods: A prospective follow-up study was conducted among women aged 15-45 years, complaining of breast pain without any abnormality detected clinically and radiologically. After consent to participate and enrollment, all the study participants were counseled and reassured about the non-neoplastic nature of the disease and about wearing proper mechanical support/Bra; this was repeated at each follow-up. VAS was used to assess the pain intensity perceived by the woman at each follow-up, post intervention. The Short Form-36 (SF-36) scale was used to evaluate health related QOL (HRQOL).
Results: Among 80 patients, 31.2% were wearing a Bra of fabric other than cotton, 21.2% were wearing a loose fit mechanical support/Brassiere, while 10% were not wearing any mechanical support at baseline. The overall mean VAS score was significantly reduced with each follow-up, indicating decreased perception of breast pain over time. There was a significant difference between the mean SF-36 score between base line and after three months (p<0.0001). Mean scores in all domains of the SF-36 increased. The greatest reduction in mean VAS score was seen in 26-35 years age group and women with a body mass index <18.5 kg/m2.
Conclusion: Reassurance and wearing proper mechanical support/Bra are effective for improving QOL and alleviating breast pain/mastalgia. These simple processes should be used for the management of mastalgia.
Keywords: Mastalgia; body mass index; breast pain; mechanical support; quality of life; reassurance.
©Copyright 2023 by the the Turkish Federation of Breast Diseases Societies / European Journal of Breast Health published by Galenos Publishing House.