title: Pain in chronic kidney disease: prevalence, cause and management.
abstract: Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience and is the most common symptom experienced by renal patients. It can be caused by primary co-morbid diseases, renal replacement therapies, medication or treatment side effects, and its intensity varies from moderate to severe. Pain management in renal patients is difficult, since the distance between pain relief and toxicity is very small. This paper will provide an algorithm for pain management proposed using paracetamol, nonsteroid anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs), mild and stronger opioids as well as complementary techniques. Quality of Life (QoL) and overall enhancement of the patient experience through better pain management are also discussed. To improve pain management it is essential that nurses recognise that they have direct responsibilities related to pain assessment and tailoring of opioid analgesics and better and more detailed education.
authors.affiliation: 2nd IKA-ETAM Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. dkafkia@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kafkia
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chamney
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drinkwater
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pegoraro
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sedgewick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010166:Palliative Care; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics