The Clinical journal of pain
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To evaluate obesity as a marker for increased pain severity, disability, and psychologic distress in treatment-seeking, mixed chronic pain patients. ⋯ Weight is associated with co-morbid disability, depression, and reduced quality of life for physical function in chronic pain patients. Calculation of the BMI should become a routine part of the screening evaluation for chronic pain patients, with additional screening for disability and psychologic distress in patients with elevated BMIs.
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Letter Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The intravenous administration of ketoprofene: a suitable alternative for acute postoperative pain management in developing countries.
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Letter Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Levetiracetam as migraine prophylaxis.
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Sleep disturbance, depression, and heightened risk of suicide are among the most clinically significant sequelae of chronic pain. While sleep disturbance is associated with suicidality in patients with major depression and is a significant independent predictor of completed suicide in psychiatric patients, it is not known whether sleep disturbance is associated with suicidal behavior in chronic pain. This exploratory study evaluates the importance of insomnia in discriminating suicidal ideation in chronic pain relative to depression severity and other pain-related factors. ⋯ Chronic pain patients who self-reported severe and frequent initial insomnia with concomitant daytime dysfunction and high pain intensity were more likely to report passive suicidal ideation, independent from the effects of depression severity. Future research aimed at determining whether sleep disturbance is a modifiable risk factor for suicidal ideation in chronic pain is warranted.
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Surgical patients who regain consciousness while under general anesthesia may develop symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One common PTSD symptom is the experiencing of abnormal perceptions during which the patient feels as if the trauma is recurring. The objective of this report is to document the re-occurrence of pain as part of the PTSD sequelae. ⋯ The similarity between the patients' pain symptoms and pain experienced during trauma, the triggering by traumatic cues, and the associated emotional arousal and avoidance suggest the involvement of a somatosensory memory mechanism.