Pain in Chronic Pancreatitis During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Has It Given Us a New Dimension for Treatment?

Background Prolonged lockdown in our country provided us with a unique opportunity to study the interplay of psychosocial impact on pain in surgically treated patients of chronic pancreatitis. Methods Forty-one patients who underwent surgery for chronic pancreatitis in the last 24 months were followed up, of which 27 were enrolled. The data were collected telephonically. Pain was assessed using the numeric pain rating (NPR) scale and depression using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9. In patients having recent onset pain during the lockdown, oral tramadol 50 mg and amitryptiline 25 mg were prescribed and reassessed after two weeks. Results Of the 25 pain-free patients in February (pre-lockdown), 14 developed pain of varying intensity during the lockdown and were prescribed medications. Twelve out of 14 patients had very good resolution of pain after two weeks of medication. Conclusions Operated patients with chronic pancreatitis who developed new-onset depression and pain responded well to low-dose anti-depressants in addition to analgesics. This study gives indirect, objective evidence that covert depression leading to pain in chronic pancreatitis is often downplayed and interpreted as poor results of surgery.