Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Pain is the quintessential symptom for individuals suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD). Although the degree of suffering and the cost of treatment are staggering, SCD continues to be grossly understudied, including a lack of data for pain-related genes and prevalence of polymorphisms in this population. This lack of data adds to the inadequacy of pain therapy in this population. Pain genetics investigators have recently examined allele frequencies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms from candidate genes in people who have SCD. One of the genes identified was the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A gene (AVPR1A) and its associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs10877969. Progress in explaining pain-related polymorphisms associated with SCD can be facilitated by understanding the literature. Aim/Design: The purpose of this literature review was to describe mechanisms of the polymorphic gene AVPR1A and the phenotypic variations associated with its SNPs relative to health conditions and pain. ⋯ Summary of this literature could provide insights into future pain research of this SNP in people with SCD.
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In the past, elderly women with breast cancer were not offered surgery because of beliefs that they would experience serious complications from comorbidities and increased chronological age. Today the decision to offer surgery is based on a woman's fitness rather than her age. ⋯ A total of 97 women aged 37-78 participated in this study. Overall, 35% of all women experienced PONV; only two women (18%) in the highest age range (70-79) experienced PONV, yet they reported significantly more pain than women in the other age groups. Understanding the difference in postoperative symptoms experienced by older woman after surgery for breast cancer will support the development of age-specific strategies.
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Individuals with chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics (CPNC) describe a different pain experience compared with those with chronic pain without neuropathic characteristics (CP). ⋯ Individuals with CPNC have distinct pain and self-management experiences compared with those with CP that may lead to negative coping strategies and dissatisfaction with ability to control pain. Therefore, self-management assessment and support should be tailored by pain condition.
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People living with cystic fibrosis experience pain that is associated with decreased quality of life, poorer health outcomes, and increased mortality. Though pain is highly prevalent as a symptom, it is currently unknown how persons with CF describe their pain experiences or the ways those experiences impact their lives. ⋯ There are differences in how pain is perceived by adolescents and adults with CF that have otherwise not been reported in the current literature. Further explorations of pain across the lifespan and health care provider attitudes toward pain management are needed to guide the development of effective pain management interventions for those with CF.
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Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) report pain scores that appear greater than those reported in a meta-analysis for patients with cancer, but statistical comparisons of the pain scores from both populations have not been published. ⋯ Outpatients with SCD reported three of four sensory pain parameters that were greater than those reported by outpatients with cancer. A better understanding of these differences is pertinent to improving pain outcomes.