Clinical drug investigation
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Chronic pain is a common healthcare problem worldwide that ranks as a predominant reason for consulting a physician, yet effective management of chronic pain remains suboptimal, often resulting in unnecessary suffering and decreased quality of life, lost productivity and excessive healthcare costs. To overcome the challenges associated with the management of chronic pain, increased awareness and both patient and physician education are required. Improving physician knowledge of pain assessment and management guided by recommendations for a comprehensive, multifactorial, personalised treatment approach involving pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches is key to achieving effective pain relief. ⋯ The availability of mechanism-specific analgesics has facilitated improvements in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, which may be of neuropathic, muscle, inflammatory, mechanical/compressive or mixed origin. Stepwise escalation of analgesic therapy (paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, mild to strong opioids) according to the World Health Organization's three-step pain ladder remains the standard approach for the selection of treatment for chronic cancer pain, although there is now a greater awareness of the requirements for effective administration of opioids including dose titration, use of short versus long-acting opioids, opioid rotation, management of adverse effects, and ongoing monitoring. Selection of an effective, appropriate, personalized analgesic regimen for patients with chronic pain is achievable and is expected to enhance compliance, overall functioning and quality of life.
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The mechanisms involved in the development of chronic pain are varied and complex. Pain processes are plastic and unrelieved pain may lead to changes in the neural structure involved in pain generation. Nociceptive pain announces the presence of a potentially damaging stimulus that occurs when noxious stimuli activate primary afferent neurons. ⋯ Response to drug treatment shows significant interindividual variability and can lead to side effects. The neurobiological mechanisms that cause pain may account for the different types of pain observed. Identification of these mechanisms may allow us to move from an empirical therapeutic approach to one that it is specifically targeted at the particular mechanisms of the type of pain experienced by an individual patient.
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Chronic pain is a major healthcare issue in Europe and globally, and inadequate or undertreated pain significantly reduces the ability of many patients to participate in ordinary daily activities, adversely affects their employment status and contributes to a substantial rate of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic pain. There is a broad distinction of chronic pain into chronic non-cancer pain and chronic cancer pain, and important subgroups of these include patients with rheumatic and/or orthopaedic diseases, pain syndromes caused by cancer itself and caused by cancer treatment. Despite comprising the majority of non-cancer pain in Europe, chronic non-cancer pain associated with rheumatic diseases and/or orthopaedic conditions is often inadequately managed. ⋯ The use of mild opioids, such as codeine and tramadol, and strong opioids, such as morphine, hydromorphone and oxycodone, may be appropriate where paracetamol and other non-opioid analgesics are ineffective in chronic non-cancer pain. Cancer pain, either related to the underlying disease or caused by cancer treatment, is also a common cause of chronic pain in the elderly. An understanding of individual needs is essential in providing adequate pain relief, which is a central goal of care in all patients with chronic pain.
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Chronic pain is a widespread public health issue that has many effects on physical, emotional and cognitive functions. An estimated 10-55% of all adults are thought to have chronic pain. Chronic pain is a multifactorial condition, caused by the complex interplay of nociceptive, neuropathic or mixed pathogenic mechanisms. ⋯ Adequate assessment of pain, using validated tools, is an essential prerequisite of successful pain management. Unidimensional scales are useful for the measurement of pain intensity, while multidimensional scales measure both pain intensity and the extent to which pain interferes with life activity and emotional functioning. Patients should be reassessed and followed up in order to monitor progress and measure improvements in pain.
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Warfarin is a commonly used oral anticoagulant and its interaction with other drugs can result in serious thrombotic or bleeding events. Currently, there is no definitive evidence on the possibility of an interaction between warfarin and oseltamivir. ⋯ This case series suggests the possibility of a potential interaction between warfarin and oseltamivir. Further well designed prospective studies and genetic evaluations are needed to determine the exact nature of the interaction between warfarin and oseltamivir.