VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Katarzyna Wieczorek-Szukała, MD, PhD, medical biotechnologist, Medical University of Lodz

Although pain plays an essential informational and protective role in the human body, some diseases generate much more suffering than others. There are several levels of unpleasant sensations. They may be based not only on direct irritation of pain receptors (nocreceptors), but also on the inflammatory process resulting from tissue damage or the breakdown of blood cells. Learn about 9 diseases that are commonly considered the most painful.

Pain is a feeling that each of us wants to avoid at all costs. Not only does it hinder everyday life and decision making, but in some cases it can completely paralyze functioning. When you notice disturbing first symptoms of any of these diseases, act quickly! Only in this way will it be possible to stop the further development of pathology and improve the quality of life.

Brain tumor

Tumors of the brain (or central nervous system (CNS)) are one of the most painful diseases. Symptoms of individual types of brain tumors can differ significantly from each other - they mainly depend on the location and specific location of the tumor and its malignancy. Despite this, more than 50% of patients with brain tumors have a common symptom - bothersome headache.

A rapidly growing tumor causes an increase in intracranial pressure, putting pressure on the nerves and blood vessels. Considering that the human brain is a highly perfused and vascular closed structure, even a few millimeters long, growing tissue causes enormous pain.

Patients report that the symptoms are so severe that they are accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, in many cases, in the absence of appropriate treatment, headaches only get worse as the cancer process progresses.

This ailment is one of the most important diagnostic factors in head cancer diseases. So how do you distinguish cancer-related headaches from migraines or stress-induced headaches?

In case of neoplastic changes:

  • the pain is permanent, it does not go away with time,
  • over-the-counter painkillers (popularly known as NSAIDs) are ineffective,
  • the symptoms worsen afterwaking up, mostly in the morning,
  • pain increases with physical activity, when you change body position or when you sneeze (which is related to an increase in pressure),
  • Pain is accompanied by neurological symptoms (sensory disturbances, speech disorders, limb paresis, epilepsy), memory disorders and even mental disorders.

Brain tumors are tumors that are relatively rarely diagnosed in adults (they account for about 9% of all neoplastic diseases).

Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, they are one of the most common tumors in children (up to 20% of all tumors in minors).

sciatica

An attack of sciatica (also called ischialgia or an attack of nerve roots) is most often a consequence of progressive degenerative changes in the spine and the emerging discopathy.

The protrusion of the intervertebral disc in the spine may cause pressure on the nerve endings and inflammation causing severe discomfort.

Usually, pain occurs suddenly with jerky movement and can be so severe that it prevents you from making any kind of movement or daily activities. Patients compare an attack of sciatica to a "knife stuck in the spine", paralysis or a sudden "lightning strike".

Pain primarily occurs in the lumbar region, but often radiates to the buttock, back of the thigh, or foot. Ischialgia causes severe numbness and contraction of the muscles, which makes it difficult to move them.

Symptoms may worsen when you reposition your body, sneeze, or cough or when your cerebrospinal fluid pressure increases.

In the acute phase of the disease, pharmacological treatment (painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs) are used, followed by physiotherapeutic procedures (e.g. laser irradiation, magnetic field, kinesitherapy, massage or mobilization).

If there is no improvement after a few weeks, and the tear attack is directly caused by severe discopathy, surgery may be necessary. Sciatica is a common complication in obese people and in advanced pregnancy, when the spine is exposed to severe overload.

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Arthritis

Arthritis, also known as gout or gout, is most often associated with the disease of the elderly. Indeed, this disease can develop asymptomatically for many years, to give severe pain symptoms only after the age of 50 or 60.

The main substrate of arthritis is the accumulation of uric acid crystals, which the body produces in excessive amounts, around the joints. As you progresspathological processes, crystal deposits build up and become sharper, severely injuring tissues and causing chronic inflammation.

It is now known, however, that some forms of arthritis (so-called secondary arthritis) may have an autoimmune background and accompany other diseases, e.g. type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

The diagnosis of the disease is not easy and requires many diagnostic tests. This disease can be confused with arthritis of various origins, for example with a complication after an infection.

Characteristic of arthritis is certainly an increased level of uric acid in the blood, as well as symptoms such as:

  • severe, increasing joint pain,
  • swelling and tight skin in the joint area,
  • fever,
  • mobility problems,
  • general weakness,
  • complications in the urinary system (inflammation of the kidneys).

Unfortunately, arthritis is an incurable disease, but proper treatment and diet can definitely improve the patient's quality of life and minimize pain.

Migraine headaches

Migraines are considered to be one of the strongest headaches and affect up to 15% of the world's population. To date, there is no definite reason why some people suffer from regular headaches, but migraines affect most women.

Therefore, it is suspected that their occurrence may be associated with changes in the levels of sex hormones in the body, e.g. during menstruation or the perimenopausal period.

Factors such as too little sleep, malnutrition or the use of slimming diets, chronic fatigue or stress can also significantly increase the risk of migraine attacks in a given person.

The typical symptoms of migraines are:

  • the appearance of symptoms that predict a proper migraine attack - the so-called migraine aura - irritability, mood drops, lack of appetite,
  • strong, distressing headache, usually located on one side of the head, e.g. behind the eye socket, around the temple or forehead,
  • sensitivity to light, smells and sounds,
  • nausea or vomiting.

These symptoms can vary in severity for each person, but long-term migraine attacks can last from several to even 72 hours.

The headache is usually so intense and throbbing that it prevents you from functioning normally. It is a relief to be in dark, quiet rooms. Treating migraines is difficult, and often comes down to the occasional use of strong painkillers.

With relapsersailments, it is necessary to perform in-depth diagnostics in order to rule out serious diseases, such as meningitis or cancer.

Kidney stones

Renal colic, which occurs with kidney stones, is so painful that it can even be compared to labor pains. This ailment affects men twice as often. This painful episode occurs at least once in a lifetime in one in 10 men up to the age of 50.

The cause of urolithiasis is the formation of plaque in the urinary tract, also called stones, consisting of insoluble oxalate or phosphate precipitated out of the urine.

Growing stones, often with a sharp, irregular structure, travel from the kidney to the ureters, causing them to become irritated or even clogged. An attack of renal colic is usually sudden, sharp, described as "cutting down the legs" and making it impossible to move.

Depending on the location of the deposit, pain may be felt around the kidney or below, in the lower abdomen and around the bladder, radiating into the groin. The resulting inflammation and the reduced ability to pass urine causes a high fever and chills.

Additional symptoms associated with renal colic are also:

  • nausea or vomiting,
  • blood in urine,
  • baking during micturition,
  • penile pain in men.

Larger stones (>5mm) can travel through the urinary tract for days, and obstruction of the urinary outlet will eventually require a surgeon's intervention.

In less complicated cases, relief is provided by taking painkillers and antispasmodics as well as plenty of fluids (about 3-4 liters).

Acute appendicitis

Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of the so-called acute abdominal syndrome, which includes symptoms such as pain:

  • in the epigastric region,
  • in the perineum or pelvis,
  • in other parts of the lower abdomen.

These ailments are accompanied by an increased body temperature (up to 38 degrees), high heart rate and almost always severe vomiting and nausea.

It is not fully known what factors cause such sudden symptoms of appendicitis. They may probably result from blockage of the alveolus, e.g. by the so-called fecal stones or parasites (human roundworm, tapeworm or pinworms).

The disease is usually more violent in children and young people up to the age of 20. On the other hand, in the elderly, the initial stages of appendicitis are milder, so they may be mistaken for indigestion or poisoning by many people.in the digestive tract.

However, if the abdominal pain worsens, a surgeon's intervention and surgical removal of a fragment of the intestine may be necessary. These symptoms should not be underestimated, because complications resulting from acute appendicitis are extremely serious and lead to life-threatening conditions (e.g. perforation and peritonitis).

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an insidious female disease whose etiology has not been fully elucidated. The underlying cause of the disease is the presence of endometrial cells outside the uterine cavity.

The endometrium forms the so-called foci that show secretory activity and reactivity, hormonal fluctuations in the body. As a result of these changes, chronic inflammation develops around the foci (sometimes located in distant organs).

Symptoms accompanying endometriosis are mainly chronic pain in the lower abdomen or the lumbar region, which does not have to be limited only to the time of menstruation. Depending on the location of the endometrial lesions and the severity of the disease, persistent pain may occur during:

  • urinating,
  • defecation,
  • having sexual intercourse.

These ailments may be accompanied by gastrointestinal problems:

  • diarrhea,
  • flatulence
  • and constipation.

Many women struggle with pain for many years before being diagnosed, often by accident. Currently, the treatment of endometriosis most often involves the use of hormonal contraceptives, and less often the surgical excision of focal lesions.

It can not only save a woman's fertility, but also effectively improve the quality of life and free her from unnecessary struggle with pain.

Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (acute pancreatitis), unlike the mild chronic form, appears suddenly and is accompanied by a rapid course. As a result of the disease, the mechanisms that naturally inhibit the activity of pancreatic enzymes are damaged, so as a result, the organ and surrounding tissues are literally "self-digesting" and a strong inflammatory process.

The main causes of the disease are:

  • excessive alcohol consumption
  • and complications after gallstone disease,
  • less frequent viral infections or parasitic diseases.

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis are often not very specific, but usually the common elements are:

  • strong, prickly, lasting pain in the epigastrium thatcan radiate to the back,
  • very intense vomiting,
  • hard, bloated stomach,
  • defecation stop,
  • blue face.

These ailments are usually not accompanied by milder symptoms beforehand, and the pain occurs unexpectedly and quickly. Acute pancreatitis requires immediate intervention, as it can quickly lead to pancreatic necrosis, where tissue damage is irreversible.

In more severe cases, acute pancreatitis may result in a severe systemic inflammatory reaction - i.e. septic shock - and death.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever

Haemorrhagic fever is a very serious body infection, caused by RNA viruses such as Ebola or Marburg. Although the disease is considered exotic (it occurs most often in central regions of Africa or South America), its high degree of infectivity and spectacular, very severe symptoms can potentially pose a threat to any large population.

Not all hemorrhagic fever viruses are equally deadly, but in the case of Ebola or Marburg strains, the death rate is up to 90%.

Infection occurs through droplets or through contact with the secretions of the sick person (blood, vomit, feces). You also have to be careful with the bites of tropical mosquitoes and other insects that can carry the virus.

Infection begins very rapidly, usually about a week after infection, with a very high fever of over 40 degrees. There is severe vomiting, chills, chronic diarrhea.

The most overwhelming symptom is also an overwhelming pain in the head and muscles.

The rapidly reproducing virus causes the breakdown of red blood cells throughout the body, so after a few days the pains intensify, there are hemorrhages from various organs, mucous membranes and body cavities. Severe multi-organ failure and hemorrhagic diathesis can even lead to shock and death.

Modern medicine does not know an effective drug for hemorrhagic fever, it comes down to balancing the balance of body fluids, water and electrolyte balance and symptomatic lowering of temperature. Therefore, it is believed that if the infected person survives the first 12 days of illness, the prognosis is favorable.

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