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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cavernous hemangiomas (cavernomas) of the spinal cord are rare congenital malformations that comprise less than 5% of all intramedullary lesions. Despite this rarity, we describe the third case of central neuropathic itch associated with intramedullary cavernoma. Since fewer than 10 cases of central spinal itch from all causes have been published, this concurrence suggests the possibility of a specific association. A middle-aged man developed chronic disabling neuropathic itch and pain affecting his left shoulder and arm after frank hemorrhage of a midcervical cavernoma. We hypothesize that the relatively rostro-dorsal location of his lesion increased its likelihood of causing itch as well as pain. The microscopic pathology of cavernomas, specifically their gliotic rim containing hemosiderin-laden phagocytes, fosters ectopic firing of nearby neurons and makes cranial cavernomas highly epileptogenic. We hypothesize that these pathological features predispose cavernomas to cause central itch if they are located near, but spare, the central itch projection neurons in lamina I of the dorsal horn. Quisqualate injections into the deeper layers (neck) of the dorsal horns of rats produce pathologically similar lesions. Such rats develop unilateral dermatomal hyperalgesia and self-injurious scratching and biting (autotomy). Although this pathological grooming is currently interpreted as a response to chronic pain, we propose that it more likely models scratching provoked by central neuropathic itch, as seen in our patient and others. Study of quisqualate-injected rats may provide leads towards new treatments for neuropathic itch.
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PMID:Central neuropathic itch from spinal-cord cavernous hemangioma: a human case, a possible animal model, and hypotheses about pathogenesis. 1587

Pruritus is an unpleasant sensory perception of the skin associated with the desire to scratch. As a physiological nociception, pruritus leads to the removal of harmful agents such as parasites and plants from the skin surface. More often, pruritus occurs as a severe and therapy-refractory symptom of various underlying dermatological and systemic diseases. Comparable to chronic pain, chronic pruritus worsens the general condition and may lead to physical and psychological exhaustion. Until the 1990s, pruritus had been regarded as an incomplete pain sensation. Only recently, itch was defined as a separate, pain-independent sensation with its own mediators, spinal neurons and cortical areas. These observations led to the development of new therapeutic modalities. This paper gives an overview of itch pathophysiology, clinical types and therapies.
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PMID:[Pruritus--pathophysiology, clinical features and therapy--an overview]. 1628 78

The discovery of a specialized neuronal pathway for itch has markedly improved our understanding of itch processing under physiological conditions. However, the complex interactions of pain and itch are only partly understood. This review focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in clinical and experimental itch conditions. There is emerging evidence that similar patterns of peripheral and central sensitization occur in chronic pain and chronic itch conditions. It will be of major interest to reveal whether the underlying mechanism for sensitization in the itch and pain pathways are also similar, as this might have major implications for therapy.
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PMID:Itch and pain. 1629 1

Drug challenge test (DCT) is performed to evaluate chronic pain pharmacologically and determine its medical treatment. One test drug is administered in one day for DCT and characterization of the test drug. Four patients developed side effects of the test drugs for DCT in whom other drug tests were postponed or canceled. A 58-year-old man with multiple arthritis of rheumatic arthritis and fibromyalgia had headache, nausea, and vomiting all day after ketamine test. A 76-year-old man with chronic general pain and failed back surgery syndrome had vomiting and abdominal discomfort two hours after morphine test and had redness and itching on his bilateral forearms the following day. A 78-year-old man with chronic lumbar and right lower limb pain due to L 4-5 lumbar disc herniation and postherpetic neuralgia felt dizzy, fell down and bruised on his lower back and left knee twelve hours after morphine test. A 32-year-old woman with chronic pelvic pain had skin eruption on her thigh the day after phentolamine test. Although the amount of the test drug in DCT is small and its half-life is short, long-term side effects might occur. We should decrease the amounts or frequencies of ketamine and morphine, and administer them taking long intervals before other tests.
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PMID:[Postponed or canceled drug challenge tests and side effects of the test drug--a report of four cases]. 1649 93

The discovery of specific pathways for the processing of itch has greatly enhanced our understanding of the physiology of pruritus. However, the complex interactions between itch and pain are only partly understood. This review focuses on the neurophysiological basis of itch under experimental and clinical conditions. Chronic inflammatory diseases can locally sensitize nerve endings and thereby contribute to itch. In addition, there is increasing evidence that also central processing of itch can be sensitized in pruritus patients. Interestingly, this pattern of peripheral and central sensitization in pruritus has striking similarities to the one observed in chronic pain patients. The presumed similarities in underlying sensitizing mechanisms between itch and pain has major therapeutic consequences as successful therapies for chronic pain might be used also in chronic itch.
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PMID:[Interactions between itch and pain]. 1659 87

Potent opioids are excellent painkillers but their use is hampered by side-effects such as nausea, vomiting, bowel dysfunction, urinary retention, pruritus, sedation and respiratory depression. Co-analgesics are often combined with opioids to reduce the prevalence of these unwanted effects while maintaining or even improve the quality of analgesia. A search of the recent literature demonstrated that peripheral opioid antagonists are able to reduce opioid-induced bowel dysfunction without interfering with analgesia. Dexmedetomidine, gabapentin, and ketamine significantly reduce opioid consumption but have no effect on the incidence of opioid side-effects. In contrast, intravenous lidocaine and corticosteroids not only produce an opioid-sparing but also a significant reduction in the occurrence of postoperative ileus and nausea and vomiting. It remains unclear whether the perioperative use gabapentin, ketamine and corticosteroids has an effect on the development of postsurgical chronic pain states.
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PMID:Systemic analgesia and co-analgesia. 1691 80

It is well-known that cognitive, behavioral, and physiological reactivity to pain, such as catastrophizing, avoidance of activity, and increased physiological responses, can unfavorably affect long-term outcomes in patients with chronic pain. In line with similarities between the psychophysiology of pain and itching, corresponding mechanisms may be relevant for the maintenance of chronic itching. The goal of this study was to examine the role of self-reported cognitive, behavioral, and physiological reactivity factors on itching-related outcomes in 235 patients with chronic skin diseases suffering from chronic itching. Sequential regression analyses indicate that all 3 reactivity systems predicted itching-related outcomes. Specifically, more catastrophizing, higher levels of avoidance of activity, and heightened self-reported physiological reactivity predicted more itching, more scratching, and a reduced disease-related quality of life. The results suggest that a psychological model as described for chronic pain is a useful starting point for study of the maintaining mechanisms of chronic itching.
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PMID:Cognitive, behavioral, and physiological reactivity to chronic itching: analogies to chronic pain. 1707 74

Epidural analgesia is regarded as the gold method for controlling post-thoracotomy pain. Intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia can also produce satisfactory analgesic effects, but is suspected to increase the incidence of chronic pain. However, randomized controlled trials comparing these two methods for post-thoracotomy acute pain analgesic effects and chronic pain incidents have not been conducted previously. We studied 107 adult patients, allocated randomly to thoracic epidural bupivacaine and morphine or intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia. Acute pain scores and opioid-related side effects were evaluated for three postoperative days. Chronic pain information, including the incidence, severity, and allodynia-like pain, was acquired on the first, third, sixth and twelfth months postoperatively. There was no significant difference on numeral rating scales (NRS) at rest or on motion between the two groups during the three postoperative days. The patient satisfaction results were also similar between the groups. The side effects, especially mild pruritus, were reported more often in the epidural group. Both groups showed high incidence of chronic pain (42.1-72.1%), and no significance between the groups. The incidence of allodynia-like pain reported in cryo group was higher than that in Epidural group on any postoperative month, with significance on the sixth and the twelfth months postoperatively (P<0.05). More patients rated their chronic pain intensity on moderate and severe in cryo group and interfered with daily life (P<0.05). Both thoracic epidural analgesia and intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia showed satisfactory analgesia for post-thoracotomy acute pain. The incidence of post-thoracotomy chronic pain is high. Cryoanalgesia may be a factor that increases the incidence of neuropathic pain.
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PMID:Comparison of epidural analgesia and intercostal nerve cryoanalgesia for post-thoracotomy pain control. 1787 Jun 25

Up to 70% of cancer patients in the terminal phase of their disease complain of moderate or severe pain. Pain therapy in these patients follows the analgesic ladder of the WHO. Many cancer patients will need a strong opioid to get sufficient pain relief. Fentanyl-TTS (transdermal therapeutic system) may be a new alternative for chronic pain therapy in cancer patients. Analgesic rates of fentanyl are released from the patch over a period of 72 h. After application, peak serum concentrations of fentanyl are measured after 8-16 h. Serum half-life time is prolonged (16-21 h) because of the intradermal depot of fentanyl. The efficacy of Fentanyl-TTS in pain therapy for cancer patients was demonstrated in clinical studies, which showed a good analgesic effect over a long period of time. Like the chronic therapy of cancer pain with conventional opioid routes, dose escalation was necessary in most patients. In most studies the application of another opioid in a second route of application was necessary as a rescue medication. During therapy of cancer pain with Fentanyl-TTS, 3 of 246 patients developed a bradypnea (respiratory rate <10/min). In contrast, respiratory depression in chronic cancer pain was never reported when the opioid was administered orally or regionally and when technical faults were excluded. The side effects during therapy with Fentanyl-TTS were those accompanying chronic opioid therapy (constipation, vomiting, nausea). The patch was well tolerated by the skin. Local side effects were minor (erythema, pruritus, pustules) and disappeared within a few hours after removal of the patch. The transdermal application of a strong opioid may be an alternative, especially for patients with cancer of the head and neck or in the gastrointestinal tract. Because of the pharmacokinetic laziness of the system the use of Fentanyl-TTS should be limited to patients with stable tumor pain. In these patients Fentanyl-TTS might be valuabe on step III of the analgesic ladder of the WHO or as an alternative to invasive methods when it is impossible to administer oral opioids.
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PMID:[Transdermal fentanyl for the treatment of cancer pain.]. 1841 15

The fentanyl transdermal matrix patch is approved in Japan for the management of moderate to severe cancer-related pain in adults. Bioequivalence, in terms of exposure and the maximum and minimum serum concentrations, has been established between the fentanyl transdermal matrix patch 16.8 mg (100microg/h) and the fentanyl transdermal reservoir patch 10 mg (100microg/h) after single and multiple applications. The fentanyl transdermal matrix patch 2.1-8.4 mg (12.5-50microg/h) effectively managed chronic cancer-related pain in adults in a noncomparative, multicentre, phase II study; 89.4% of recipients rated their global assessment of pain as 'very satisfied', 'satisfied' or 'neither satisfied nor dissatisfied'. Adults with cancer- or non-cancer-related chronic pain were switched from fentanyl transdermal reservoir patch to fentanyl transdermal matrix patch therapy without compromising efficacy; no differences in pain intensity or sleep interference scores were seen between the two formulations in an nonblind, multicentre, switching pilot study. Given the nature of the therapy, the tolerability profile of the fentanyl transdermal matrix patch was generally acceptable. Topical adverse events included erythema, application-site irritation and pruritus. In general, patients and physicians preferred the fentanyl transdermal matrix patch over the fentanyl transdermal reservoir patch in the pilot study.
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PMID:Fentanyl transdermal matrix patch (Durotep MT patch; Durogesic DTrans; Durogesic SMAT): in adults with cancer-related pain. 1868 93


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