Current terminology of chronic pain

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a common problem that exerts a significant impact on individuals and society as a whole. Pain syndrome is one of the most common explanations for patients need for medical care, and it causes major suffering in humans. Thus far, chronic pain lacks a generally accepted terminology and classification. The review aimed to present the current terminology and classification of chronic pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two independent researchers searched for publications for the period of January 2010 to October 2020 in the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and the International Association for the Study of Pain. The last search query was performed on October 25, 2020. The search identified 423 studies, and 397 of them were excluded because they described the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic pain syndromes. The remaining 26 publications formed the basis of this review. RESULTS: The review presents the current terminology and classification of chronic pain, which is defined as pain that lasts for 3 months or more after the underlying pathology is cured. The work presents the description of terms such as chronic primary pain, chronic secondary pain, cancer-associated chronic pain, chronic postoperative or post-traumatic pain, chronic neuropathic pain, chronic secondary cephalgia or orofacial pain, chronic secondary visceral pain, and chronic secondary musculoskeletal pain. Additional characteristics of chronic pain, including the intensity of pain, the severity of suffering, and physical dysfunction, are also given. CONCLUSION: The presented modern terminology and classification of chronic pain will contribute not only to the correct formulation of diagnosis established in a patient with chronic pain but also to the implementation of multimodal analgesia, epidemiological studies and, ultimately, the choice of proper strategy for addressing chronic pain by healthcare organizers. The result is also expected to lead to adequate funding for resolving this intricate problem.