Today's article from pain.com (see link below) is the first of a week-long examination of living with pain for people living with HIV in general and pays special attention to neuropathy as being one of the main causes of pain. It is useful for people who are experiencing pain, in that it may help identify the cause more easily. The symptoms of neuropathic pain can't really be mistaken for anything else but that's not to say that people with HIV don't also suffer from pain from other sources.
Treating Pain in the HIV/AIDS Patient
December 8, 2011
Treating pain in HIV/AIDS patients is a concern, as at least half of HIV/AIDS patients report some kind of pain complaint related to their disease. Pain related to HIV/AIDS can be categorized into three general categories: general complaints, neuropathy and pain from AIDS-related cancers. Each of these types of pain are treated differently.
General complaints of pain in HIV/AIDS patients comprise both acute pain related to HIV/AIDS and chronic pain problems. Some of the pain problems related to HIV/AIDS that patients experience include muscle aches, chest pain and chronic headaches. These are problems that are present in the general population, but more common in people who are ill with a disease such as HIV/AIDS. If these symptoms are caused by a complication of the disease, the root cause must be treated. For example, people with HIV/AIDS are prone to getting a lot of opportunistic bacterial, viral and fungal infections because of their immune system deficiency. Chest pain in some HIV/AIDS patients may be caused by an infection of the lungs, such as pneumonia. In these cases, the pneumonia must be treated, and medications may be given to control the pain and other symptoms that the underlying condition is causing. These general complaints of pain that HIV/AIDS patients may have can be treated with prescription pain medications, such as narcotics. For some conditions, such as chronic headaches, other medications or treatments may work better and are safer for long-term use because they are not as habit-forming as the opioid drugs.
Peripheral neuropathy is another type of pain that HIV/AIDS patients can experience. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves that go to the extremities. This nerve damage is widespread in HIV/AIDS patients, as opposed to affecting just one part of the body. Peripheral neuropathy causes symptoms such as burning or tingling pain in the hands and feet, numbness in the hands and feet and muscle weakness in the extremities. Pain that is caused by damage to the nerves themselves does not respond as well as other types of pain to narcotic pain medications. Thankfully, there are alternative medications that can have an affect on pain due to nerve damage. Certain medications that are used to treat seizures and depression are also useful for reducing nerve pain due to peripheral neuropathy. Examples of these medications include the anti-seizure drugs gabapentin and phenytoin. Antidepressants of the tricyclic antidepressant and mixed reuptake inhibitor classes have been shown to help control nerve pain. Other remedies that may be prescribed for peripheral neuropathy are topical medications containing the numbing medication lidocaine or the substance capsaicin, which is responsible for giving chili peppers their heat and can reduce pain sensations when applied topically.
Because HIV/AIDS creates severe immune system deficiency, people with this infection are more prone to not only opportunistic infectious diseases, but they have a greater chance of getting certain types of cancer. The immune system usually finds and destroys abnormal cells before they can become a cancerous tumor, but if the immune system is deficient, cancers arise more frequently. People with HIV/AIDS are much more likely to get a type of rare skin cancer called Kaposi sarcoma than the general population, and HIV/AIDS patients also have high rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some other types of cancer are also more likely to arise in patients infected with HIV. As pain can be caused by a cancerous tumor itself, chemicals that are present in the body because of the cancer and the effects of cancer treatments, palliative care is an important part of any cancer treatment. Not all people with cancer experience cancer-related pain, but many people do. There are a lot of different pain medications that can be used for cancer pain. If the pain is severe, strong opioid medications may be used to control it.
http://pain.com/library/2011/12/08-treating-pain-hivaids-patient/
General complaints of pain in HIV/AIDS patients comprise both acute pain related to HIV/AIDS and chronic pain problems. Some of the pain problems related to HIV/AIDS that patients experience include muscle aches, chest pain and chronic headaches. These are problems that are present in the general population, but more common in people who are ill with a disease such as HIV/AIDS. If these symptoms are caused by a complication of the disease, the root cause must be treated. For example, people with HIV/AIDS are prone to getting a lot of opportunistic bacterial, viral and fungal infections because of their immune system deficiency. Chest pain in some HIV/AIDS patients may be caused by an infection of the lungs, such as pneumonia. In these cases, the pneumonia must be treated, and medications may be given to control the pain and other symptoms that the underlying condition is causing. These general complaints of pain that HIV/AIDS patients may have can be treated with prescription pain medications, such as narcotics. For some conditions, such as chronic headaches, other medications or treatments may work better and are safer for long-term use because they are not as habit-forming as the opioid drugs.
Peripheral neuropathy is another type of pain that HIV/AIDS patients can experience. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves that go to the extremities. This nerve damage is widespread in HIV/AIDS patients, as opposed to affecting just one part of the body. Peripheral neuropathy causes symptoms such as burning or tingling pain in the hands and feet, numbness in the hands and feet and muscle weakness in the extremities. Pain that is caused by damage to the nerves themselves does not respond as well as other types of pain to narcotic pain medications. Thankfully, there are alternative medications that can have an affect on pain due to nerve damage. Certain medications that are used to treat seizures and depression are also useful for reducing nerve pain due to peripheral neuropathy. Examples of these medications include the anti-seizure drugs gabapentin and phenytoin. Antidepressants of the tricyclic antidepressant and mixed reuptake inhibitor classes have been shown to help control nerve pain. Other remedies that may be prescribed for peripheral neuropathy are topical medications containing the numbing medication lidocaine or the substance capsaicin, which is responsible for giving chili peppers their heat and can reduce pain sensations when applied topically.
Because HIV/AIDS creates severe immune system deficiency, people with this infection are more prone to not only opportunistic infectious diseases, but they have a greater chance of getting certain types of cancer. The immune system usually finds and destroys abnormal cells before they can become a cancerous tumor, but if the immune system is deficient, cancers arise more frequently. People with HIV/AIDS are much more likely to get a type of rare skin cancer called Kaposi sarcoma than the general population, and HIV/AIDS patients also have high rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some other types of cancer are also more likely to arise in patients infected with HIV. As pain can be caused by a cancerous tumor itself, chemicals that are present in the body because of the cancer and the effects of cancer treatments, palliative care is an important part of any cancer treatment. Not all people with cancer experience cancer-related pain, but many people do. There are a lot of different pain medications that can be used for cancer pain. If the pain is severe, strong opioid medications may be used to control it.
http://pain.com/library/2011/12/08-treating-pain-hivaids-patient/
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