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Researchers Target Chronic Postherpetic Neuralgia

Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2005;293:2459-2460.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Boston—Although chronic neuropathic pain can be excruciating and debilitating, patients experiencing it often have difficulty describing the sensation and pinpointing its origin. Treatment is therefore a challenge for physicians, and preventing the onset of chronic neuropathic pain is a research area of great interest.

At the recent American Pain Society annual meeting, Robert Dworkin, PhD, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, NY, spoke of his work aimed at predicting and preventing chronic neuropathic pain in patients with herpes zoster, also known as shingles. The findings could have implications for many types of chronic neuropathic pain, including diabetic neuropathy, HIV neuropathy, phantom limb pain, and mastectomy pain.

Researchers are testing the effects of early, aggressive pain treatment for patients with shingles to see if it helps prevent development of chronic postherpetic neuralgia. (Photo credit: www.sciencesource.com)

RISKS TIED TO CHRONIC PAIN

Dworkin has found that a . . . [Full Text of this Article]