Source: Medical News today
Chronic pain is a problem which many Americans currently live with. Further, chronic pain management has led to the uprising of increased opioid use in the last few decades. Which has become a major problem. Especially, with regard to the unusually large amount of pain managing medication illegally entering the United States -- such as 'Fentanyl' -- which can be read about here. With pain management in mind, researchers have been searching endlessly for a cure or treatment which will reduce addiction issues. A possible solution might just have been found. In the blog post below, the new research is highlighted.
Chronic Pain?
According to recent research unveiled a few months ago in a brief blog post on Director Dr. Francis Collin's web page on the National Institutes of Health's website, the new method stands to improve pain management which arises from stressful/traumatic events as described below:
For most people, pain eventually fades away as an injury heals. But for others, the pain persists beyond the initial healing and becomes chronic, hanging on for weeks, months, or even years. Now, we may have uncovered an answer to help explain why: subtle differences in a gene that controls how the body responds to stress.In a recent study of more than 1,600 people injured in traffic accidents, researchers discovered that individuals with a certain variant in a stress-controlling gene, called FKBP5, were more likely to develop chronic pain than those with other variants [1]. These findings may point to new non-addictive strategies for preventing or controlling chronic pain, and underscore the importance of NIH-funded research for tackling our nation’s opioid overuse crisis.The research team, led by Samuel McLean at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, first found evidence of an association between the FKBP5 gene and chronic pain in 2013 [2]. Those studies of about 1,000 white men and women found at least six different FKBP5 variants. They also showed that each variant could be used to predict the severity of a person’s pain after a car accident or other trauma. In fact, those who carried one particular gene variant, the less common DNA spelling at a location called rs3800373, were especially prone to chronic pain long after the traumatic event.
That is promising news, but what about other races, ethnicities, and cultures? Are the results just as promising for those populations too? Actually, yes. Again, from the Director's web page:
In the follow-up study now reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, the team took advantage of the recently completed NIH-funded Project CRASH . This multi-state project evaluated the recovery process of more than 1,600 white and black Americans who were seen in an emergency room within 24 hours of a traffic accident [1]. Each study participant provided a blood sample and answered questions about their pain just after the crash and then again six weeks later. The researchers also received permission to review data from participants’ medical records detailing the nature of their injuries and treatment.
The new evidence confirms that people who carry the pain-susceptibility variant at rs3800373 are more likely to develop chronic pain after a trauma. That’s true across gender and in people regardless of their race. Though the frequency of this variant is still unclear, the researchers estimate that about 33 percent of Americans have it.
Great. When can we expect a drug? Where do people with chronic pain go to now? What methods exist for those who suffer from chronic pain?
With opioid use at an all time high, other methods are being sought out to reduce chronic pain among those who suffer. Alternative methods include: physical therapy, yoga, mind-body therapies, complementary methods (acupuncture, meditation, etc.), and medical interventions.
For more information regarding the management of chronic pain, visit either: (1) Harvard Health and/or (2) WebMd. Keep checking back to see updates on the research listed above regarding new technology/research surrounding the treatment of chronic pain.
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