The Clinical journal of pain
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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is known to be an effective treatment for a range of neuropathic pain (NeP) conditions, although further clinical evidence is required. Clinical observations suggest that 1 aspect of the treatment effect is a reduction in the area with spontaneous NeP. The aim of this study was to quantify the areas of spontaneous NeP in SCS patients and to correlate these with changes in pain intensity and quality of life. ⋯ The results indicate that the main impact of SCS on the patients' quality of life is not the reduction of the painful areas, but rather the reduced pain intensity in the remaining area.
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Smoking is associated with chronic pain and pain-related functional impairment. Some studies suggest that pain activates smoking urges and others suggest that smoking is analgesic. We evaluated these associations using ecological momentary assessment, a method for real-time measurement of health-related phenomena. ⋯ These findings support the hypothesis that smoking behavior is triggered by pain, but smoking is not analgesic. Future studies should clarify potential explanatory mechanisms for this pain-related trigger and evaluate tailored cessation strategies for pain patients.
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Stress can play an important role in etiology of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and altering the immune system. The current study examined the influence of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotypes on salivary markers of HPA axis (cortisol), SNS (α-amylase), and immune (IgA) systems in women with FMS. ⋯ The results suggest that women with FMS with the Met/Met genotype exhibit greater disturbed activity of the SNS and humoral immune system. These results provide initial evidence of a link between Val158Met polymorphism and dysfunctions in the SNS and humoral immune system in women with FMS.