title: Neuropathic pain.
abstract: Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system, including peripheral fibres (Aβ, Aδ and C fibres) and central neurons, and affects 7-10% of the general population. Multiple causes of neuropathic pain have been described and its incidence is likely to increase owing to the ageing global population, increased incidence of diabetes mellitus and improved survival from cancer after chemotherapy. Indeed, imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory somatosensory signalling, alterations in ion channels and variability in the way that pain messages are modulated in the central nervous system all have been implicated in neuropathic pain. The burden of chronic neuropathic pain seems to be related to the complexity of neuropathic symptoms, poor outcomes and difficult treatment decisions. Importantly, quality of life is impaired in patients with neuropathic pain owing to increased drug prescriptions and visits to health care providers, as well as the morbidity from the pain itself and the inciting disease. Despite challenges, progress in the understanding of the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain is spurring the development of new diagnostic procedures and personalized interventions, which emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the management of neuropathic pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain and Translational Symptom Science, School of Nursing and Department of Anesthesiology School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 655 West Lombard Street, 21201 Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Luana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colloca
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain and Translational Symptom Science, School of Nursing and Department of Anesthesiology School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 655 West Lombard Street, 21201 Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Taylor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ludman
authors.affiliation: INSERM, Unit 987, Ambroise Paré Hospital, UVSQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouhassira
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Neurological Pain Research and Therapy, Klinik fur Neurologie Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Dickenson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yarnitsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Truini
authors.affiliation: Pain Evaluation and Treatment Centre of Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Attal
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine - The Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Nanna B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Finnerup
authors.affiliation: Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK.|Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eccleston
authors.affiliation: Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Eija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalso
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Dworkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Srinivasa N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Raja
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000379:methods; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D059226:Nociceptive Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D000069583:Pregabalin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D014147:Tramadol / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000700:Analgesics; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D009294:Narcotics; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers; D014147:Tramadol; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin; D008012:Lidocaine