title: [Drug therapy of acute and chronic abdominal pain].
abstract: For drug therapy a differentiation of acute and chronic pain is essential. In emergency situations of acute abdominal pain a fast diagnosis is mandatory. Analgesia should be provided as soon as possible. The different groups of analgesics should be used according to their known effects, side effects and contraindications. Postoperative pain after abdominal surgery has to be considered as a special condition of acute abdominal pain. Main treatment options are non opioid analgesics and opioids. Opioids can be administered intravenously via patient controlled analgesia (PCA) devices. In major abdominal surgery neuroaxial analgesia, preferentially administered via an epidural catheter provides excellent pain relief with positive impact on gastrointestinal motility and patients' recovery. Because of difficulties to allocate chronic abdominal pain to a specific organ, causal treatment often turns out to be difficult. Peripheral and central sensitization, as well as an alteration of the endogenous pain modulation comes to the fore in these chronic pain conditions. Co-analgesics like anticonvulsants and antidepressants are utilized to reduce sensitization and improve the endogenous pain modulating system. Non drug approaches and alternative treatment options might be useful. In contrast, orally or transcutaneously administered opioids are the principal corner stone for the treatment of cancer pain.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Anästhesiologie und Schmerztherapie, Inselspital, Bern. konrad.streitberger@insel.ch
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Streitberger
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stüber
authors.forename: Irène
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kipfer Buchli
authors.forename: Ulrike M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Stamer
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery; D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000928:Antidepressive Agents