Chronic pain
Persistent pain lasting over three months, often without clear cause.
Last updated
Chronic pain is pain that persists or recurs for longer than 3 months, often described as burning, electrical, throbbing, or nauseating. It contrasts with acute pain, which resolves when its cause is treated, and can last for years, frequently serving no apparent useful purpose. Chronic pain affects more people than diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, and its costs in the US are estimated at US$560–635 billion.
Lore & Background
Chronic pain is classified under ICD-11 code MG30, with subcategories including primary, cancer-related, postsurgical, neuropathic, and others. Primary chronic pain (MG30.0) includes widespread pain (fibromyalgia), primary musculoskeletal pain, and complex regional pain syndrome. The DSM-5 defines chronic complications as lasting more than six months, while the IASP describes chronic pain as persisting beyond usual recovery time, using terms nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic.
Reader's Guide
Chronic pain has significant physical and psychological effects, including grey matter loss, insomnia, metabolic disorders, chronic stress, obesity, heart attack, depression, and neurocognitive disorders. Treatments include opioid and non-opioid drugs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and physical therapy, but no definitive cure exists.
Research continues into nerve blocks and radiation therapy. The pathophysiology involves continuous activation of pain signals, leading to changes in neural structure via neuroplasticity, with group C nerve fibers implicated. Prognosis is often poor, with complete remission rare, and medications carry risks such as opioid dependence, hepatotoxicity from acetaminophen, and decreased life expectancy with chronic opioid use.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Chronic pain (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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