Pacientes com neuralgia do trigêmeo e sua relação com a dor

Abstract

The objectives were to know the behavior of patients facing trigeminal neuralgia pain, including those already submitted to its treatment, and to identify the main changes in the quality of life of people with the disease. This is a research with qualitative, descriptive and exploratory approach conducted with people affected by trigeminal pain. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews recorded in audio or in writing, at the participants' homes and online. Minayo's thematic analysis was used. The study was approved by the UFSM Research Ethics Committee under opinion number: 3,512,902 and CAAE registration: 10254119.2.0000.5346. The sample consisted of ten people with trigeminal neuralgia, with female predominance (60%), aged between 24 and 71 years. Shock pain was the most mentioned, left hemiface (60%) and mandibular branch were the most affected, 60% of respondents referred their pain as maximum on the face scale. Among the triggering factors, chewing, stress and exposure to cold wind were the most cited, the duration of pain varied among respondents. Quality of life regressed after trigeminal neuralgia, resulting in work difficulties, changes in social, family and psychological problems. Knowing the perception of pain and the main changes in the quality of life of respondents, observing their reactions and listening to their experiences provided a greater understanding of the pathology and its problems, enabling greater research reliability, serving as a reference for other researchers.