Revista brasileira de reumatologia
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Pain is a public health problem, greatly impairing quality of life. Almost 80% of patients with chronic pain reported that their pain interferes with activities of daily living, and two thirds reported that the pain causes negative impact on their personal relationships. The physical and functional disability, whether temporary or permanent, compromises the professional activity and causes work absenteeism, increasing costs of health systems. ⋯ Based on the literature review, it is not possible to uniformly specify the most effective and safe dose of lidocaine administered intravenously for the treatment of neuropathic or musculoskeletal pain. As for effectiveness, the intravenous infusion of lidocaine as an alternative for the treatment of chronic pain of various etiologies seems very promising, but further studies need to be conducted.