Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Pain syndromes are disease entities in which patients experience chronic pain lasting more than three months, the causes of which cannot be clearly identified. What are the different types of pain syndromes and how are they treated?

Pain syndromesoccur in even 15-20% of the population. Their essence is long-term pain. They are usually referred to when the patient is struggling with chronic pain (lasting more than three or - according to some authors - more than six months), which significantly adversely affect his daily functioning and in the case of which it is impossible to directly state as to led them. For unknown reasons, they are more common in women than in men.

Pain syndromes cover a wide group of disorders, because they include both fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pain, contrary to appearances, is a very important experience for us - if we did not feel it, we would not withdraw our hand after touching a hot object or take our foot off the floor after stepping on a nail. In such situations, the pain is actually beneficial, but it is definitely not the case when the patient experiences pain almost every day, or even every day - chronic pain significantly impairs the quality of life.

The most important thing for patients who are struggling with a pain syndrome is how to reduce their pain - so what is used in the treatment of pain syndromes?

Pain syndromes: types

The group of pain syndromes sometimes includes individuals that hardly anyone would associate with pain ailments. Different authors classify pain syndromes differently, but one of the most interesting approaches is the division depending on what type of ailments appear in patients, and in this case the following are distinguished:

  • somatic pain syndromes , which include, inter alia, fibromyalgia, idiopathic facial pain, chronic low back pain and temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction syndrome
  • visceral pain syndromes , which include interstitial cystitis, bowel syndromeirritable and chest pain
  • so-callednon-pain syndromes , which include, among others chronic fatigue syndrome and somatization disorders

Pain syndromes: causes

One of the criteria by which pain syndromes are diagnosed is that it is impossible to precisely indicate the cause of their occurrence in a patient - despite the complete laboratory or imaging diagnostics, in a patient with chronic pain it is impossible to detect any specific , organic abnormalities.

Pain syndromes do not come out of nowhere - among the hypotheses regarding their etiology there are those concerning the dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, disturbances in the composition of the intestinal microflora or the functioning of the immune system cells.

It is also emphasized that genes may have a certain share in the development of pain syndromes - it is noticeable that the increased risk of occurrence of one of the entities belonging to this group is shared by people in whose families someone struggled with some pain syndrome.

Pain syndromes: symptoms

As you can imagine, the main symptom of pain syndromes is pain. They have a different character, but usually it is a diffuse, generalized pain with not entirely clear characteristics.

The location of the strongest pain symptoms depends on which syndrome occurred in the patient, so people with irritable bowel syndrome may complain of abdominal pain, and patients with fibromyalgia - pain in the musculoskeletal system.

The described problems are, however, referred to as syndromes because, apart from pain, patients also experience other types of symptoms, which may be:

  • feeling of significant, constant fatigue
  • sleep disturbance
  • mood disorders (in the form of irritability or low mood)
  • difficulties with memory and concentration
  • anxiety disorders

Pain syndromes: diagnosis

Making a diagnosis of any of the distinguished pain syndromes is usually not easy - in order to be able to state that a patient suffers from such an individual, it is necessary to exclude other possible causes of his ailments.

For this purpose, various tests can be carried out, because both laboratory tests (such as blood counts, but also determinations of inflammatory parameters) and various imaging tests (in the form of computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging).

Only when in any conductedthe tests fail to detect any biochemical or organic abnormalities, it is possible to diagnose the pain syndrome.

Pain syndromes: treatment

Pain syndromes can impair the daily functioning of the patient in an extremely negative way - they may have difficulties with fulfilling family or professional duties, therefore it is extremely important to implement appropriate and effective treatment.

It should be emphasized here that usually the treatment of pain syndromes is not easy - usually pharmaceuticals typically used to relieve pain do not help patients at all.

For this reason, patients are sometimes recommended to use other preparations, such as those used in neuropathic pain (we are talking here about antidepressants or anticonvulsants).

Regular rehabilitation and other methods, such as nerve blocks or relaxation exercises, are extremely important.

Patients with pain syndromes are also advised to follow a balanced diet and to exercise regularly and avoid stimulants.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Read more articles by this author

Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Category:

Neurology