Abstract
Objectives/Goals: Adults from minority groups report more severe and pervasive pain than those in majority groups, resulting in a disproportionate burden of pain. Whether race disparities in pain outcomes exist in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) is unknown. We examined the association of race with pain intensity, pain interference, and pain phenotypes in MS. Methods/Study Population: Ambulatory adults with medically documented MS completed a comprehensive survey battery including demographics and clinical data. Pain outcomes were assessed with four measures: Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pain intensity and pain interference short forms, the American College of Rheumatology Fibromyalgia Survey Criteria (a surrogate of degree of nociplastic pain), and the PainDETECT (a surrogate of neuropathic pain). Participants were categorized as either Black/African American or White based on their self-reported race. Four sets of unadjusted and adjusted (including sex, age, years since diagnosis, MS subtype and Patient Determined Disease Steps—PDDS score) linear regression models were built to examine the associations between race and pain outcomes. Results/Anticipated Results: A total of 258 participants (200 White and 58 Black), with a mean age of 51 ± 12 years, mostly female (77%), an average of 15 ± 10 years since diagnosis, a PDDS score ranging from 0 to 6, and mostly diagnosed with RRMS (79%), were included in the analyses. Unadjusted regression models indicated that pain intensity (β = 5.20; 95% CI 2.73 – 7.66, p < 0.001), pain interference (β = 5.17; 95% CI 2.29 – 8.06, p < 0.001), and nociplastic pain (β = 2.41; 95% CI 0.40 – 4.42, p = 0.019) were all higher for Black/African American participants compared to White participants. The differences remained statistically significant in adjusted models. No differences in neuropathic pain were observed between Black/African American and White participants in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Discussion/Significance of Impact: We highlight an increased burden of pain in Black/African American with MS compared with their White counterparts. The findings illuminate potential future targets of interventions to reduce disparities in the experience and impact of pain. A comprehensive examination of the role of social determinants in pain outcomes in MS is further warranted.