Pain
-
Data on all outpatient opioid prescriptions (N = 71,647) to youth below age 21 (N = 42,020) from 2005 to 2016 were extracted from electronic medical records within a university hospital system in New Mexico (NM) as were demographic details and markers of morbidity/mortality. Relative risk was calculated for markers of morbidity/mortality based on sociodemographic characteristics. The sample was primarily male (55.0%), Hispanic/Latinx (50.1%), English-speaking (88.9%), and publicly insured (50.1%). ⋯ Significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes was observed in patients receiving multiple opioid prescriptions, and in patients who were older, of minority race, received their first prescription in an outpatient clinic, and publicly insured or uninsured. Results add to the growing literature concerning opioid prescription rates over time. They also provide important information on potential additive risks of adverse outcomes when pediatric patients receive multiple opioid prescriptions.
-
Theoretical models and evidence increasingly identify chronic pain as a family issue. To date, much of this work has focused on risk conferred by parental chronic pain status despite evidence suggesting parent mental illness and non-pain-related chronic illness may also contribute to poorer chronic pain outcomes in children. This study is the first to test interpersonal fear avoidance processes as possible mechanisms through which parent health (mental and physical) influences pediatric chronic pain functioning. ⋯ The model demonstrated excellent fit to the data (χ[5] = 5.04, ns; χ/df = 1.01; comparative fit index = 1.00, root mean square error of approximation = 0.004 [90% confidence interval = 0.000 to 0.066]). Exploratory multiple-group comparison structural equation model revealed moderation of specific model paths based on child age group (8- to 12-year-olds vs 13- to 18-year-olds) and parent pain status (present vs absent). This study integrates family models of pain with the interpersonal fear avoidance model to extend our mechanistic understanding of parental physical and mental health contributors to pediatric chronic pain.
-
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease that affects approximately 10% of women. Debilitating pelvic or abdominal pain is one of its major clinical features. Current animal models of endometriosis-associated pain require surgery either to implant tissue or to remove the ovaries. ⋯ These behavioral changes were reduced by drugs used clinically for endometriosis, specifically letrozole (aromatase inhibitor) and danazol (androgen). Endometriosis also induced neuronal changes as evidenced by activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in TRPA1- and TRPV1-expressing dorsal root ganglion neurons. In conclusion, we have established a model of endometriosis-associated pain that responds to clinically active drugs and can, therefore, be used to identify novel therapies.
-
Poststroke complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by swelling, pain, and changes in the skin that appear on the affected wrist and hand. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the relationship between poststroke CRPS and the location of stroke lesion. From all patients admitted to our hospital from 2009 to 2019, we recruited 80 patients affected by their first unilateral stroke who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. ⋯ Analyses using voxel-wise subtraction and Liebermeister statistics indicated that the corticospinal tract (CST) was associated with the development of poststroke CRPS. Statistically significant correlations were found between pain intensity and the CST and the adjacent lentiform nucleus. Our results suggest that the CST may be a relevant neural structure for development of poststroke CRPS and the intensity of pain caused by the syndrome.
-
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia are chronic pain conditions of unexplained origins. In addition to symptoms in the diagnostic criteria, patients can report changes to vision and other sensations or bodily functions. It is unclear whether these are greater than would be expected due to normal ageing, living with chronic pain generally, or common comorbidities of chronic pain such as depression or anxiety. ⋯ Complex regional pain syndrome related to changes in hair, skin, and nails; and infection and healing. The CRPS+fibromyalgia group presented with features of both disorders with minimal additional stressors or symptoms over and above these. Our findings suggest that CRPS and fibromyalgia share underlying pathophysiologies, although specific mechanisms might be different.