European journal of pain : EJP
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Prevalence rates of mental disorders in patients with chronic pain vary and may be overestimated when assessed by screening instruments only. Objectives were to estimate the 10-year prevalence of different mental disorders diagnosed by psychiatrists in patients with chronic pain compared with the Danish general population. ⋯ Prevalence rates of anxiety and depression diagnosed by psychiatrists in patients with chronic pain were found to be lower than previous findings using screening instruments. Adjustment disorders were the most frequent disorders diagnosed, as this study is the first to investigate.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) oral rinse reduces capsaicin-induced burning mouth pain sensation: An experimental quantitative sensory testing study in healthy subjects.
In burning mouth patients, analgesia after oral administration of clonazepam may result from modulation of peripheral γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. ⋯ Rinsing the mouth with an oral GABA containing solution ameliorated burning pain and increased heat sensitivity produced by application of capsaicin to the tongue. This finding suggests that GABA can act as a local analgesic agent in the oral cavity.
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Review
Assessment and manifestation of central sensitisation across different chronic pain conditions.
Different neuroplastic processes can occur along the nociceptive pathways and may be important in the transition from acute to chronic pain and for diagnosis and development of optimal management strategies. The neuroplastic processes may result in gain (sensitisation) or loss (desensitisation) of function in relation to the incoming nociceptive signals. Such processes play important roles in chronic pain, and although the clinical manifestations differ across condition processes, they share some common mechanistic features. ⋯ The aims of this paper are to introduce and discuss (1) some common fundamental central pain mechanisms, (2) how they may translate into the clinical signs and symptoms across different chronic pain conditions, (3) how to evaluate gain and loss of function using quantitative pain assessment tools, and (4) the implications for optimising prevention and management of pain. The chronic pain conditions selected for the paper are neuropathic pain in general, musculoskeletal pain (chronic low back pain and osteoarthritic pain in particular), and visceral pain (irritable bowel syndrome in particular). The translational mechanisms addressed are local and widespread sensitisation, central summation, and descending pain modulation.
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Approximately 40% of patients with chronic low back pain have a neuropathic component. In this study, we assessed the effects of analgesics on tactile hypersensitivity and walking distance in the rat cauda equina compression (CEC) model of neuropathic low back pain. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that duloxetine may be an effective treatment of broad neuropathic pain states, including neuropathic low back pain. The analgesic effects of duloxetine might be mediated by alterations of the descending pain modulatory pathways in the spinal cord, independent of the antidepressant effects.
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Neuropathic pain is one of the most important challenges in public health. The search for novel treatments is important for an adequate relief without adverse effects. In this sense salvinorin A (SA), the main diterpene of the medicinal plant Salvia divinorum is an important antinociceptive compound, which acts as a potent agonist of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) and cannabinoid CB1 receptors. ⋯ We show evidence on the effectiveness of the administration of salvinorin A in the IC in a rodent model of neuropathic pain. These results support the use of novel compounds like SA as a therapeutic alternative for neuropathic pain relief.