Breakthrough Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Cancer patients experience episodes of increase in pain on a background of continuous pain. Breakthrough pain is defined as a…
Assessment of Cancer Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK The quality of life is severely affected because of pain in cancer patients. Pain relief can be obtained with optimal…
Pain Management and Substance Abuse
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Substance abuse may be seen with opioids, cannabis, cocaine, hypnotics and sedatives. Cannabis is the drug most frequently abused (45…
Epidemiology and Mechanisms of Cancer Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Pain in cancer can be assessed only clinically. It is not a well-defined identity. It may be due to tumour,…
Trigeminal Neuralgia
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Trigeminal neuralgia is the most common form of pain in people more than 50 years of age. Annual incidence is…
Fibromyalgia
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK It is a chronic widespread pain syndrome characterised by reduced pain thresholds and tender points and may present with widespread…
Central Pain Syndromes
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK 34.1 Multiple Sclerosis It is a demyelinating disease involving the central nervous system. Onset is usually seen mostly after the…
Postherpetic Neuralgia
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK 33.1 Definition Postherpetic neuralgia presents as chronic pain with skin changes lasting for more than 3 months, in the distribution…