Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders in Lithuanian Patients Following Motor Vehicle Collision: an Update
| Author | Affiliation |
|---|---|
Bilevičiūtė-Ljungar, Indrė | Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyds Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden |
Introduction. In Lithuania, where the amount of traffic accidents is relatively high, the WAD diagnosis is uncommon (1996). Aim: To follow-up patients after motor vehicle accident in order to identify WAD symptoms as well as disability and to compare them with a control group. Methods: The study enrolled 19 men and 30 women (mean age 30.2±1.6 years) who searched for medical help at the Emergency Room after motor vehicle collision. Pain intensity according to Visual Analogy Scale (VAS) and WAD symptoms according to Quebec Task Force questionnaire were examined 3-14 days and 6 months following accident. Thirty-seven sex- and age-matched volunteers, with no previous history of a traffic accident, served as control. Disability Rate Index (DRI) and sociodemographic data was followed-up. Results: Forty-six of 49 patients developed acute WAD symptoms as compared to their pre-accidental symptoms. After 6 months, 23 of 46 patients still had WAD symptoms. In contrast, significant improvement was found in pain intensity and DRI (p< 0.001), but still, these rates remained higher than in the control group (p< 0.05). Compared to their preaccidental symptoms, chronic WAD patients had significantly more symptoms such as neck pain and reduced movements, dizziness, memory, concentration and visual impairment. However, in comparison with controls, differences were found in numberss of limbs, dizziness, memory and concentration impairment, that were more common in the WAD group, while the rate of low back pain was bigger in controls. Twenty-five patients were on sick-leave for an average of 26.4 (2.9) days following the collision. After 6 months, none of these patients lost ability to work due to health-related outcomes of accident. Conclusions: Our data indicate that Lithuanian patients do have chronic WAD symptoms, but only few were more common than in controls. However, these residual symptoms do not influence ability to work.