Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chronic pain represents a great challenge; according to epidemiological data increasing numbers of patients should be expected. Based on recent advances, a better understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic pain has been achieved and neurologists have made a major contribution to this understanding. Chronic pain is accompanied by substantial maladaptive plastic alterations in both the peripheral and central nervous systems; therefore, neurological knowledge is of paramount importance for pain therapists but this contrasts with the current treatment situation of pain patients in Germany. There are basically too few departments and practices undertaking treatment, and neurologists are an exception in most pain centers. Furthermore, due to economic reasons neurological hospitals are currently experiencing a dearth of inpatients suffering from chronic pain. Diagnostic and/or treatment procedures for neurological pain entities (e.g. headaches or neuropathic pain) are insufficiently represented in the German diagnosis-related groups (DRG) reimbursement system and the obstacles for an efficient pain therapy in neurological practices are too high. Finally, there are too few academic positions for pain medicine in neurological hospitals; therefore, career opportunities for motivated young neurologists with an interest in pain are lacking. In order to address the unmet therapeutic needs of patients with chronic pain there is a high demand for (i) establishment of departments for neurological pain medicine, (ii) modification of the German DRG system and (iii) education of young neurologists with expertise in pain. Pain medicine in particular should be especially appealing to neurologists .
...
PMID:[Pain - a neglected neurological issue]. 2716 85

There is a high medical need to improve the effectiveness of the treatment of pain and traumatic soft tissue injuries. In this context, electrostimulating devices have been used with only sporadic success. There is also much evidence of endogenous electrical signals that play key roles in regulating the development and regeneration of many tissues. Transepithelial potential gradients are one source of the direct current (DC) electrical signals that stimulate and guide the migration of inflammatory cells, epithelial cells, fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells to achieve effective wound healing. Up to now, this electrophysiological knowledge has not been adequately translated into a clinical treatment. Here, we present a mobile, handheld electroceutical smart device based on a microcontroller, an analog front end and a battery, which generates DC electric fields (EFs), mimicking and modulating the patient's own physiological electrical signals. The electrical stimulation is applied to percutaneous metal probes, which are located close to the inflamed or injured tissue of the patient. The treatment can be used in an ambulatory or stationary environment. It shows unexpectedly, highly effective treatment for certain severe neurological pain conditions, as well as traumatic soft tissue injuries (muscle/ligament ruptures, joint sprains). Without EF intervention, these conditions, respectively, are either virtually incurable or take several months to heal. We present three cases - severe chronic cluster headache, acute massive muscle rupture of the rectus femoris and an acute ankle sprain with a ruptured anterior talofibular ligament - to demonstrate clinical effectiveness and discuss the fundamental differences between mimicking DC simulation and conventional transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) or TENS-like implanted devices as used for peripheral nerve cord, spinal cord or dorsal root stimulation.
 ...
PMID:Percutaneous direct current stimulation - a new electroceutical solution for severe neurological pain and soft tissue injuries. 2995 Sep 8