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Chronic pain syndromes: overlapping phenotypes with common mechanisms
Geoffrey Owen Littlejohn1,2, Emma Guymer1,2
1Department of Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.
F1000Research
|March 14, 2019
Summary
Fibromyalgia and regional pain syndromes, though historically distinct, are manifestations of the same underlying processes. These chronic pain conditions are influenced by emotional distress, genetics, psychology, and physical factors.
Area of Science:
- Pain Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Psychosomatic Medicine
Background:
- Chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia, regional pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome are often viewed as distinct entities.
- Historical classification and differing diagnostic criteria have contributed to their separation in medical literature and practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the relationship between common chronic pain syndromes.
- To propose a unifying framework for understanding fibromyalgia, regional pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome.
- To explore the common underlying processes contributing to these pain conditions.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical and current diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia, regional pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome.
- Analysis of literature on the pathophysiology of chronic pain.
- Synthesis of evidence regarding the influence of emotional distress, genetics, psychology, and local physical factors on pain perception.
Main Results:
- Despite historical distinctions, fibromyalgia, regional pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome share common underlying pathophysiological processes.
- These chronic pain conditions represent phenotypically distinct expressions of a common pathway.
- Emotional distress emerges as a significant trigger, modulated by individual genetic, psychological, and local physical factors.
Conclusions:
- Fibromyalgia, regional pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome are not fundamentally separate conditions but rather variations of a common chronic pain process.
- A unified understanding is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment of these widespread pain syndromes.
- Future research should focus on the interplay of psychological, genetic, and physical factors in the modulation of chronic pain.
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