Neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain ( NP ) develops as a result of lesions or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system either in the periphery or centrally

NEUROPATHIC PAIN -Disease process leads to a dysfunctional and abnormal somatosensory system

Nociceptive -Noxious perception from cellular damage Also called inflammatory Proportionate to magnitude of tissue damage →release of inflammatory mediators nociceptive pain can be somatic , visceral or referred Example of nociceptive pain is arthritis ie pain due to inflammatory mediators which are otherwise processed by a normal somatosensory system.

How common -Chronic pain is a common and frustrating problem which affects from 25 % to 65 % of the adult US population & WHO estimates that 22 % of the world's primary care patients have chronic debilitating pain making chronic pain a problem which should be addressed by all health care professionals In the UK it is estimated that 1/3rd to 1/2 of the population suffer with chronic pain The estimation of neuropathic pain prevalence varies based on study centers and methodology used - these have been mostly gathered from studies in specialized cohorts as people with LBP , diabetes , MS , nerve entrapment syndrome Neuropathic pain appears to be common Several questionnaires...