Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Comparative Study
The terminal cancer patient: effects of age, gender, and primary tumor site on opioid dose.
The objective of the current study is to describe correlations between age, gender, and primary cancer site and sustained-release opioid doses prescribed for hospice patients at the end of life. ⋯ Both primary tumor site and patient age were associated with final opioid dose. Further investigation is warranted to determine which primary tumor sites are associated with unusually high opioid doses and may highlight the need to optimize adjuvant medication therapy if neuropathic and/or inflammatory pain mechanisms are involved and to refer to pain specialists when appropriate.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of acetylsalicylic acid on sore throat pain and other pain symptoms associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection.
Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) has been widely used for over a century to treat pain and fever associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), but there is a lack of clinical data to support the efficacy of ASA in this disease state. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of ASA for the treatment of sore throat pain associated with URTI. ⋯ Treatment with ASA was shown to provide relief from sore throat pain, headache, and muscle aches and pains associated with URTI.
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Review
A structured evidence-based review on the meaning of nonorganic physical signs: Waddell signs.
This is a structured, evidence-based review of all available studies addressing the concept of nonorganic findings: Waddell signs (WSs). ⋯ Based on the above results, the following conclusions were made: 1) WSs do not correlate with psychological distress; 2) WSs do not discriminate organic from nonorganic problems; 3) WSs may represent an organic phenomenon; 4) WSs are associated with poorer treatment outcome; 5) WSs are associated with greater pain levels; 6) WSs are not associated with secondary gain; and 7) As a group, WS studies demonstrate some methodological problems.
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Patients receiving opioid treatment for chronic pain, many of whom were hospitalized with medical complications of substance abuse, were asked to complete a screening questionnaire to help validate a simple self-administered survey. Questions relating to tobacco abuse and prior treatment for drug and alcohol abuse distinguished patients with addiction and pain from opioid-treated chronic pain patients.