European journal of pain : EJP
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There is a lack of valid epidemiological data on malignancy-associated pain in modern pediatric oncology. Pediatric oncology patients (self-assessment) and their parents from 28 hospitals were questioned using age-adapted, structured interviews and validated pain assessment tools. Pain intensity was measured by the NRS and Bieri faces scale. ⋯ Multivariate analyses depicted general physical condition either "severely reduced" (ASA status 3) (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.1-14.7, p=0.037) or "moderately reduced" (ASA status 2) (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.9, p=0.018), "in-patient status" (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.9, p=0.010), and "co-morbidity present" (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.1-10.7, p=0.030) as risk factors for severe to maximal pain. General anesthesia was the only factor significantly (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05-0.39, p<0.01) associated with a reduction in the proportion of patients suffering severe to maximal pain during bone marrow aspiration. Our data emphasize both the importance of in-house acute pain control and the need for general anesthesia during painful procedures in pediatric oncology.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effect of venlafaxine on ongoing and experimentally induced pain in neuropathic pain patients: a double blind, placebo controlled study.
The aim of this randomized double blind placebo controlled study was to investigate the effectiveness and the safety of venlafaxine XR 75 and 150 mg on ongoing pain and on quantitative sensory tests in 60 patients with neuropathic pain for 8 weeks. ⋯ The study showed significant effect of venlafaxine in the manifestations of hyperalgesia and temporal summation, but not on the ongoing pain intensity. Furthermore, the quantitative sensory tests provided complementing information to the clinical measures.
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Clinical Trial
Neuropsychological assessment of chronic non-malignant pain patients treated in a multidisciplinary pain centre.
The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of pain, sedation, pain medications and socio-demographics on cognitive functioning in chronic non-malignant pain patients. Chronic non-malignant pain patients (N=91) treated in a multidisciplinary pain centre were compared with age and sex matched healthy volunteers (N=64). Furthermore four subgroups of patients were examined: Group 1 (N=21) received no pain medications, group 2 (N=19) were in long-term oral opioid treatment, group 3 (N=18) were treated with antidepressants and/or anticonvulsants and group 4 (N=33) were treated with a combination of long-term oral opioids and antidepressants and/or anticonvulsants. ⋯ Treatment with opioids was associated with poorer performance of PASAT. High scores of PVAS and SVAS were associated with poor performance of PASAT and CRT, respectively. MMSE seems to be too insensitive for detecting the milder forms of cognitive impairment found in chronic non-malignant patients.
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Hypervigilance for pain-relevant stimuli has been associated with anxiety, fear of pain and anxiety sensitivity. This attentional bias has been primarily investigated in heterogeneous pain groups or pain-free controls, but has not been examined in pain conditions where anxiety and fear are likely to play a central role. Due to the intimate and interpersonal nature of genital pain experienced during sexual intercourse, Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome (VVS) constitutes an ideal sample in which to investigate the role of cognitive and affective factors in pain perception and maintenance. ⋯ VVS sufferers reported hypervigilance for coital pain and also exhibited a selective attentional bias towards pain stimuli on the emotional Stroop task as compared with controls. This effect was predicted by state and trait anxiety and fear of pain. According to these data, treament strategies for VVS should target anxiety and fear in addition to sensory systems.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) with respect to the Erector spinae and the hip muscles in 87 patients with subacute non-specific low back pain (LBP) and to evaluate the relationship between the PPTs and disability. In order to establish reference values, 64 healthy subjects were examined with respect to PPTs and used as a control group against the group of LBP patients. The mean PPT values of the Erector spinae and the hip at all examined points of the LBP group were significantly lower (p<0.001) in comparison to the PPT values of the healthy group. ⋯ The correlation between having LBP or not in the whole group (n=151) and PPT, was highest at the L3 level of the Erector spinae (r=-0.710, p<0.001). When the group of patients with LBP was divided into two subgroups in terms of having an Oswestry disability index (ODI) lower than 40 ("moderate LBP disability") or an ODI higher than 40 ("severe LBP disability") it was surprising to notice that there was no significant difference between the PPTs of the Erector spinae and the hip musculature. This study has shown the possibility of the existence of muscular disorder in the lumbar part of the Erector spinae in patients with non-specific low back pain, but also reveals the strong inter-individual differences in muscular fibrosis sensitivity and pain behaviour related to gender.