The Clinical journal of pain
-
We examined the relationship between pain distribution and measures of self-reported behavioral functioning, pain intensity, frequency, and quality in 51 patients with chronic pain. Results indicate that patients with more distributed pain report their pain as more disruptive to important areas of functioning and also report their pain as more intense and frequent. These results corroborate previous findings and suggest that pain distribution may be used as a useful clinical marker of disability status in chronic pain patients.
-
Seventy cancer patients suffering from visceral or somatic pain received continuous epidural methadone (EM) analgesia. Initially, 4 mg of 0.1% methadone was given three times daily. If this dose proved ineffective, it was gradually increased to 8 mg four times daily. ⋯ Four of these patients responded well and continued treatment for an average of 18 days. No serious side effects have been observed with EM. With a proper selection of patients and following strict therapy guidelines, epidural methadone is efficacious in treating cancer pain.
-
The prevalence, etiology, and management of pain in pediatric cancer patients seen at the Mayo Clinic and member institutions of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group were assessed. Participating centers, including both primary care and referral institutions, surveyed all patients seen during a 1-week period (Monday through Friday); procedure-related pain was excluded. ⋯ Correlation between assessors was close except in young children. The predominance of treatment-related rather than cancer-related pain differs from results in series in adult cancer patients.
-
Patients experience oral pain in ways that make an accurate diagnosis difficult. The same complaints can be caused by either dental or nonodontogenic diseases. The author systematically explores symptoms and etiologies to direct the health care provider to an accurate diagnosis and treatment.