Articles: neuralgia.
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Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful, blistering skin eruption in a dermatomal distribution caused by reactivation of a latent varicella zoster virus in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of acute herpes zoster (AHZ). Severe prodrome, greater acute pain and dermatomal injury, and the density of the eruption are the risk factors and predictors for developing PHN. ⋯ The idea of this newly suggested approach is to increase the awareness of the health care team and the community about the nature of HZ and its complications, especially in the high-risk groups. Besides, it emphasizes the importance of the prompt antiviral therapy and the early sympathetic blockades for preventing PHN. Key words: Acute herpes zoster, prevention, post-herpetic neuralgia, sympathetic blockade, ten-step model.
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Musculoskelet Sci Pract · Feb 2017
Comparative StudyDistinguishing between nociceptive and neuropathic components in chronic low back pain using behavioural evaluation and sensory examination.
Diagnosis of chronic low back pain (CLBP) is traditionally predicated on identifying underlying pathological or anatomical causes, with treatment outcomes modest at best. Alternately, it is suggested that identification of underlying pain mechanisms with treatments targeted towards specific pain phenotypes may yield more success. Differentiation between nociceptive and neuropathic components of CLBP is problematic; evidence suggests that clinicians fail to identify a significant neuropathic component in many CLBP patients. The painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ) was specifically developed to identify occult but significant neuropathic components in individuals thought to have predominantly nociceptive pain. ⋯ We have demonstrated distinct clinical profiles for CLBP patient sub-groups classified by PDQ. Our results give diagnostic confidence in using the PDQ to characterise two distinct pain phenotypes in a heterogeneous CLBP population.
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Observational Study
The Role of Qutenza® (Topical Capsaicin 8%) in Treating Neuropathic Pain from Critical Ischemia in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: An Observational Cohort Study.
Current treatment strategies for painful critical ischemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are suboptimal. A drug that is non-renally excreted has minimal systemic absorption and does not require dose adjustment in renal failure is attractive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Qutenza® (topical capsaicin 8%) for chronic neuropathic pain from critical ischemia in patients with ESRD. ⋯ In this small, observational study Qutenza® treatment has been shown to be effective and well-tolerated to treat neuropathic pain from critical ischemia in patients with ESRD.
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Patients with neuropathic pain are heterogeneous in etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical appearance. They exhibit a variety of pain-related sensory symptoms and signs (sensory profile). Different sensory profiles might indicate different classes of neurobiological mechanisms, and hence subgroups with different sensory profiles might respond differently to treatment. ⋯ All clusters occurred across etiologies but frequencies differed. We present a new approach of subgrouping patients with peripheral neuropathic pain of different etiologies according to intrinsic sensory profiles. These 3 profiles may be related to pathophysiological mechanisms and may be useful in clinical trial design to enrich the study population for treatment responders.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2017
Chronic neuropathic pain severity is determined by lesion level in aquaporin 4-antibody-positive myelitis.
Chronic, intractable neuropathic pain is a common and debilitating consequence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) myelitis, with no satisfactory treatment; few studies have yet to explore its aetiology. ⋯ Persistent, caudally located (ie, thoracic) cord lesions in AQP4-Ab-positive patients associate with high postmyelitis chronic pain scores, irrespective of number of myelitis relapses, lesion length and lesion burden. Although disability correlated with pain in isolation, it became an insignificant predictor of pain when analysed alongside craniocaudal location of lesions.