Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system, and may be generated by either the peripheral or central nervous system, or both. It is especially problematic because of its severity, chronicity and resistance to simple analgesics. It may result from various causes including cervical or lumbar radiculopathy, diabetic neuropathy, cancer-related neuropathic pain, postherpetic neuralgia, HIV-related neuropathy, spinal cord injury, trigeminal neuralgia and complex regional pain syndrome type II, among others. Treatments are generally palliative and include conservative nonpharmacologic therapies, drugs and interventional therapies such as spinal cord stimulation. Analgesic agents recommended for first-line treatments are gabapentinoids, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
Category
Nervous system disease
Brite
Human diseases in ICD-11 classification [BR:br08403]
08 Diseases of the nervous system
Other disorders of the nervous system
8E43 Pain disorders
H01638 Neuropathic pain
Moulin D, Boulanger A, Clark AJ, Clarke H, Dao T, Finley GA, Furlan A, Gilron I, Gordon A, Morley-Forster PK, Sessle BJ, Squire P, Stinson J, Taenzer P, Velly A, Ware MA, Weinberg EL, Williamson OD
Title
Pharmacological management of chronic neuropathic pain: revised consensus statement from the Canadian Pain Society.
