Articles: chronic.
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Localized provoked vulvodynia is characterized by chronic vulvar pain that disrupts every aspect of the patient's life. Pain is localized to the vulvar vestibule, a specialized ring of tissue immediately surrounding the vaginal opening involved in immune defense. In this article, we show inflammation is the critical first step necessary for the generation of pain signals in the vulva. ⋯ Activity is blocked by the TRPV4 antagonist HC067047, denoting specificity to TRPV4. Using lipidomics, we found pro-resolving lipids in the vulvar vestibule were dysregulated, characterized by a reduction in pro-resolving mediators and heightened production of inflammatory mediators. We demonstrate specialized pro-resolving mediators represent a potential new therapy for vulvar pain, acting on 2 key parts of the disease mechanism by limiting inflammation and acutely inhibiting TRPV4 signaling.
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Neck pain is common among individuals with migraine, but there is a lack of information of how this comorbidity can be associated with cervical muscle function. This controlled cross-sectional study aimed to compare cervical muscle function, activity, and sensitization in women with migraine, neck pain, both, and neither. ⋯ The diagnosis of migraine and chronic neck pain is associated with altered function and activity of the cervical muscles. However, the test-induced pain had an important contribution to worse cervical muscle endurance. This suggests that the therapeutic approach should focus on de-sensitization of the trigeminal-cervical complex when dealing with the comorbidity of migraine and cervical pain.
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People with chronic pain tend to interpret ambiguous information as health-related, more so than people without. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exhibit this interpretation bias and whether it is associated with fear of disease progression (FoP). The interpretation biases of people with RA (n = 164) were compared with an age- and gender-matched control group. ⋯ We did not find evidence to suggest interpretation bias moderated the relationship between pain and FoP or that FoP added to the variance of other known predictors. Our results indicate that interpretation bias is common amongst people with RA and is associated with FoP. Further research is required to illuminate the exact nature of this relationship.
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Observational Study
The long-term incidence of chronic post-surgical pain after coronary artery bypass surgery - A prospective observational study.
Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) represents a significant issue for many patients following surgery; however, the long-term incidence and impact have not been well described following cardiac surgery. Our aim was to characterize CPSP at least 5 years following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. ⋯ This study highlights the impact of CPSP 7 years following cardiac surgery and highlights the effect of surgical site, neuropathic pain and the importance of including pain assessment and management in the long-term follow-up of cardiac surgical patients. Strategies to address and prevent chronic pain following cardiac surgery should be further explored.
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Prior work has demonstrated differences in the transcriptome between those with and without chronic musculoskeletal pain. ⋯ The findings from this study provided some preliminary support that pain-related gene expression is similar between individuals with and without dementia.