Current pain and headache reports
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2014
ReviewSuicide by means of opioid overdose in patients with chronic pain.
Deaths from prescription opioid use continue to rise in North America. The main focus to date has been developing strategies to prevent nonintentional (accidental) fatalities, which constitute the majority of opioid deaths across all jurisdictions. Often overlooked is the complex group of individuals whose cause of death was suicide by opioid overdose. Although most opioid prescribing tools focus on identifying risk factors for potential abuse, diversion, and propensity for opioid addiction, physicians who consider prescribing opioids should also screen and optimize chronic pain treatment for patients at risk for suicide.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2014
ReviewCancer treatment-related neuropathic pain syndromes--epidemiology and treatment: an update.
Cancer treatment-related chronic neuropathic pain (NP) is a pervasive and distressing problem that negatively influences function and quality of life for countless cancer survivors. It occurs because of cancer treatment-induced damage to peripheral and central nervous system structures. ⋯ Consequently, only a few pharmacologic interventions have been shown to be effective based on the results of randomized controlled trials. Future research designed to explore pathophysiologic mechanisms and effective mechanism-targeted interventions is sorely needed.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2014
ReviewMigraine is associated with altered processing of sensory stimuli.
Migraine is associated with derangements in perception of multiple sensory modalities including vision, hearing, smell, and somatosensation. Compared to people without migraine, migraineurs have lower discomfort thresholds in response to special sensory stimuli as well as to mechanical and thermal noxious stimuli. ⋯ Investigations have demonstrated that migraineurs during and between migraine attacks have atypical stimulus-induced activations of brainstem, subcortical, and cortical regions that participate in sensory processing. A lack of normal habituation to repetitive stimuli during the interictal state and a tendency towards development of sensitization likely contribute to migraine-related alterations in sensory processing.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2014
ReviewRestless legs syndrome and pain disorders: what's in common?
Between 10 % and 30 % of the population report chronic pain. More than half of these also have sleep complaints. From considering these data, it can be inferred there is a significant overlapping between these conditions. ⋯ The potential shared mechanisms between RLS/WED and pain may involve sleep deprivation/fragmentation effect, inducing an increase in markers of inflammation and reduction in pain thresholds. These are modulated by several different settings of neurotransmitters with a huge participation of monoaminergic dysfunctional circuits. A thorough comprehension of these mechanisms is of utmost importance for the correct approach and treatment choices.
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Migraine is a severe and debilitating disorder of the brain that involves a constellation of neurological symptoms alongside head pain. Its pathophysiology is only beginning to be understood, and is thought to involve activation and sensitization of trigeminovascular nociceptive pathways that innervate the cranial vasculature, and activation of brain stem nuclei. Much of our understanding of migraine pathophysiology stems from research conducted in animal models over the last 30 years, and the development of unique assays in animals that try to model specific aspects of migraine pathophysiology related to particular symptoms. This review will highlight some of the latest findings from these established animal models, as well as discuss the latest in the development of novel approaches in animals to study migraine.