Pain in diabetic neuropathy case study: whole patient management.

Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is described as a superficial burning pain associated with other positive and/or negative sensory systems affecting the feet and lower extremities. It is one of the most commonly encountered neuropathic pain syndromes in clinical practice. Presentation may be complicated by multiple symptoms, including allodynia, hyperalgesia, other less well characterized dysesthesias, and serious disruption of social functioning and mood. Peripheral nerve function may deteriorate, which can account for patient reports of diminution of pain after several years of follow-up. Although current understanding holds that the pathogenesis of DPN is multifactorial in nature, long-term studies have shown that rigorous glycemic control is the most relevant factor in clinical intervention and can delay the onset and slow the progression of neuropathy. In addition to glycemic control, other treatment approaches must be examined in order to restore quality of life for patients experiencing painful DPN. Differential diagnosis is required to isolate DPN from other unexplained chronic pain. Neurologic testing in painful DPN is an area of active research and is used to assess the neurologic pathways giving rise to the pain, the degree of neural damage and the degree of subclinical damage. Current treatment options for DPN include mainly antidepressants and anticonvulsants, with other agents such as tramadol, dextromethorphan and memantine being employed or studied. This review article includes a case study of a patient with painful DPN to demonstrate the current management strategies for this neuropathic pain syndrome.

Iatrogenic painful neuropathic complications of surgery in cancer.

It is estimated that at least one out of four patients with cancer complains of pain originating from nerve injury. Nerve injury may result from direct invasion/compression by tumour, or by remote effect of the cancer such as paraneoplastic polyneuropathy. In many cases, the nerve injury is caused by medical therapy, or surgical interventions. Pain generated by drugs or medical acts is called iatrogenic. A common iatrogenic neuralgia is chemotherapy induced painful polyneuropathy. This neuropathy typically affects mostly the small myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres. Surgical and anaesthesiological interventions also frequently cause direct nerve stretch or section. Some interventions, particularly those requiring extended resection, have a higher incidence of painful sequelae. Limb and colon amputation, nerve dissection, mastectomy and thoracotomy are the most common interventions for cancer known to cause nerve injury. As pain clinicians, we focus attention on the painful consequences of surgical interventions because there is evidence that a more accurate surgical approach and possibly a prophylactic prevention of the neuralgia may reduce the painful sequelae of nerve injury.

Sympathetically maintained pain.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a controversial condition, redefined in 1996 by an ad hoc International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) task force. One of the strongest critiques against the entire concept of sympathetic-dependent pain is that patients labeled as having RSD harbor in reality a somatoform disorder. Here clinical cases are described to prove that other organic medical conditions may exist other than RSD and still present the clinical picture of pain, sensory, and vasomotor disorders and trophic changes. The analysis of each patient illustrates how the inappropriate diagnosis of RSD may lead to increased worsening of pain intensity, or delay the proper diagnosis, and consequently the appropriate treatment.

Central effect of ketorolac involving NMDA receptors activity.

Possible central mechanisms underlying the analgesic action of Ketorolac, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) have been investigated using an iontophoretic approach. We found that the excitation induced by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) on spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons was prevented, or reduced, by Ketorolac applied before or after the start of the NMDA ejection. The data suggest that Ketorolac can achieve its central analgesic effect by interfering with the NMDA receptor activity on the spinal neurons.

[Etiopathogenic, clinical-diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of the burning mouth syndrome. Research and treatment protocols in a patient group]. / Aspetti eziopatogenetici, clinico-diagnostici e terapeutici della sindrome della bocca bruciante. Protocolli di ricerca e cura su un gruppo di pazienti.

BACKGROUND: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a frequently seen pathology characterised by burning tongue and oral pain without macroscopic structural lesions to the mucose. BMS etiopathology isn't known and therapy is merely empirical and unsatisfactory. METHODS: To evaluate the hypothesis that this syndrome would originate by a small diameter peripheral neuropathy combined to a mucosal trophic lesion, 37 patients, (7 male, 30 female, between 36 and 79 years, mean 54 years) affected by BMS, consecutively observed in our dispensary were submitted to a series of examinations and to therapeutical approach used in neuropathic painful syndromes. All patients were submitted to a complete stomatological exam and X-ray pantomography to exclude mucosal macroscopical lesions and dentistry illnesses. All patients executed sierological exams (glycemia, etc.), neurological exam, tongue and foot dorsum quantitative sensory examination, tongue and face telethermography. A few patients (3 male, 10 female; age 34 to 53, mean 49) were submitted to mucosal tongue biopsy, analyzed by optic microscopy and immunofluorescency following treatment with anticytoplasmatic neuronal proteins antibodies (protein gene product 9.5). RESULTS: These examinations showed subclinical polyneuropathy in 50% of patients. In particular, a loss of function in small diameter nervous fibres in about 50% of patients was observed. Histological examination of tongue mucose revealed a moderate atrophy in 70% patients. CONCLUSIONS: All patients were submitted to an antalgic therapy, with non-antiflammatory drugs used in neuropathic painful syndromes (quercetine, antiepileptic drugs benzodyazepinein and gabaergic, topical application of capsaicine solutions).

Meningeal metastases: clinical aspects and diagnosis.

The authors review the clinical and diagnostic aspects involved in leptomeningeal disease due to solid tumours, leukaemias and lymphomas. The importance of the combination of clinical findings with cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) examination and imaging studies in making an early diagnosis is underlined. The raising prevalence of this complication of systemic cancer deserves specific attention on the part of neurologists involved in consultation liason with general medicine and oncology.

Evidence of peripheral axonal neuropathy in primary restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a well-defined clinical entity characterized by an unpleasant creeping sensation arising in the legs with an irresistible need to move them. The trouble is more pronounced when the affected people lie in a prolonged rest position and try to fall asleep. It is known that RLS may be consequent to systemic disorders and to diseases affecting the central or peripheral nervous system. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders states that peripheral neuropathy should be ruled out by medical history and clinical grounds before diagnosing primary RLS (pRLS). The present study extended peripheral nerve investigation in eight consecutive pRLS patients with normal neurological examination results and showed that all patients exhibited two or more electrical, psychophysiological, and/or morphological features of peripheral axonal neuropathy. Morphometric analysis of sural nerve showed a significant reduction in myelinated fiber density and g ratio (axon diameter/fiber diameter) in the pRLS group compared with eight control biopsy specimens. These results suggest that axonal neuropathy is often present in patients with RLS. A comprehensive peripheral nerve investigation should be considered in RLS patients.

Sensory disorder of the chest as presenting symptom of lung cancer.

Four patients with pancoast's syndrome had burning pain in the axilla and abnormal sensation in the intercostobrachial nerve territory. The intercostobrachial nerve is the first component of the brachial plexus to be invaded by lung tumours.