Chronic neuropathic pain in veterinary patients.
Neuropathic pain is pathophysiologically distinct from other types of chronic pain and is defined by the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain as "pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system." At least in humans, and perhaps in animals, neuropathic pain causes a much greater impairment in the patient's quality of life than is caused by other pain syndromes. And, unfortunately, this type of pain is generally quite difficult to accurately diagnose and even harder to effectively treat. A brief review of neuropathic pain and its treatment in veterinary patients is presented here.
Grubb
Tamara
T
College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Pullman, WA 99164-7010, USA. tgrubb@vetmed.wsu.edu
D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D002415:Cats; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000662:veterinary; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods
D000700:Analgesics; D000928:Antidepressive Agents