European journal of pain : EJP
-
Pain has become the most common accompanying symptom in patients seeking medical advice, and it is one of the main issues in public health. In Spain, there are no reliable data about the impact of pain in general population. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of acute and chronic pain in the Spanish general population. ⋯ Regarding treatment, 61.7% of people complaining of pain said they were taking drugs. Source of drug treatment advice was a physician or a nurse in 66.4% of cases and self-prescription in 29%. It is concluded that pain, particularly chronic pain, has a high prevalence in the Spanish general population and a significant impact on occupational and social relationships.
-
Secondary hyperalgesia, an exaggerated response to stimuli applied to undamaged tissue surrounding an injury, is a common consequence of tissue injury and inflammation. It is well established that the etiology of secondary hyperalgesia is sensitization of central neurons but the exact mechanism and its role in certain clinical pain states is unclear. In the present experiments, we studied responses to punctate and non-punctate mechanical stimuli and to heat applied to the plantar aspect of the hindpaw remote to an incision in the gastrocnemius region of the rat hindlimb. ⋯ Reduced withdrawal thresholds were blocked by i.t. administration of morphine and by local anesthetic injection at the test site 2h and 2 days after gastrocnemius incision. These pharmacological data provide evidence that reduced withdrawal thresholds after gastrocnemius incision are nociceptive behaviors indicating persistent secondary hyperalgesia. Because the behaviors have a similar time course to secondary hyperalgesia in postoperative patients, the model will be useful to evaluate the mechanisms for secondary mechanical hyperalgesia after incision, its pharmacological characteristics and its potential role in persistent postoperative pain.
-
The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and diagnostic pattern of pain at the primary care level during one year in a group practice. This practice serves the patients of a geographically defined area with approximately 14,000 inhabitants. ⋯ Painful states of the musculoskeletal system constitute more than 2/3 of painful states in primary care. Viewed from a primary care perspective, pain has a great impact on GPs' day-to-day activities and on health economy in general.
-
Treatment satisfaction is an increasingly popular outcome measure in pain management. While it is a subjective variable, it may nonetheless reflect the quality of care and it may predict other important patient behaviors. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate predictors of satisfaction with treatment for chronic pain. ⋯ Changes in pain, depression, and pain-related anxiety were associated with treatment satisfaction but change in pain was a relatively weak predictor. Nine of the 16 characteristics of the patient's clinic experience correlated with treatment satisfaction. Regression analyses showed that the strongest unique predictors of treatment satisfaction were the patients feeling their evaluation was complete, believing they received an explanation for clinic procedures, and finding that treatment helped them improve their daily activity.