Articles: neuropathic-pain.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Nov 2021
Assessment of Serum Vitamin D Levels in the serum of Patients with Postherpetic neuralgia and its correlation to pain severity: A cross-sectional comparative study.
Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient for the maintenance of many functions in the human body. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is caused by the reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the neurons. This study aims to assess the serum vitamin D level in patients with PHN and to correlate the level of vitamin D with pain severity. ⋯ PHN patients had a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and those who had vitamin D deficiency were older and had higher degrees of pain for a longer duration. In PHN patients, vitamin D deficiency was moderately associated with increased severity and duration of pain.
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Background. Neuropathic pain (NP) following spinal cord injury (SCI) affects the quality of life of almost 40% of the injured population. The modified brain connectivity was reported under different NP conditions. ⋯ The altered theta band connectivity found in the fronto-parietal network along with a global increase in local efficiency is a consequence of pain only, while altered connectivity in the beta and gamma bands along with a decrease in cluster coefficient values observed in the sensory-motor network is dominantly a consequence of injury only. The outcomes of this study may be used as a potential diagnostic biomarker for the NP. Further, the expected insight holds great clinical relevance in the design of neurofeedback-based neurorehabilitation and connectivity-based brain-computer interfaces for SCI patients.
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About one-third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffers from chronic and excruciating central neuropathic pain (CNP). The mechanism underlying CNP in MS is not clear, since previous studies are scarce and their results are inconsistent. Our aim was to determine whether CNP in MS is associated with impairment of the spinothalamic-thalamocortical pathways (STTCs) and/or increased excitability of the pain system. ⋯ CNP in MS is characterized by a specific impairment of STTC function, the innocuous thermal pathways, and by pain hyperexcitability. Whereas CNP presence is associated with STTC impairment, its severity and extent are associated with pain hyperexcitability. Interventions that reduce excitability level may therefore mitigate CNP severity.
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Since 2017, the diagnosis of patients with orofacial pain at the University Center for Dental Medicine Basel has been supplemented by using standardized image graphics (Dolografie® [Affolter/Rüfenacht, Bern, Switzerland]). For this purpose, patients select from a set of 34 cards those that visually best match their pain and then explain the reason for their choice. ⋯ The use of standardized image cards as a "visual communication tool" has proven to be a time-efficient procedure in the context of history taking, which helps to obtain clinically relevant information not previously expressed by the patient.
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Observational Study
Physical Activity Post-Neuromodulation Device Implant - Providing Guidance to Patients and Practitioners.
Mounting evidence suggests that central nervous system amplification, similar to that seen in fibromyalgia (FM), contributes to the pain experience in a subset of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). ⋯ Together, these results imply that higher FM-ness increases TMD patient burden by amplifying spontaneous pain and further hampering painless jaw function, even in patients who do not meet criteria for FM diagnosis. These results are highly relevant for the clinical management of TMD, as they imply that targeting the central nervous system in the treatment of patients with TMD with evidence of pain centralization may help ameliorate both pain and jaw dysfunction.