Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

A new option for reducing LDL cholesterol in patients at high risk for heart attack, stroke

Patients at high risk for a heart attack or stroke who took an investigational drug in addition to a statin had significantly lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, after 12 weeks compared to similar patients who took a placebo in addition to statin therapy, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68thAnnual Scientific Session.

19 Mar 2019

Researchers hope blood test that accurately diagnoses fibromyalgia could be available within five years

Ohio State University researchers have evidence that blood samples can reliably detect fibromyalgia, a disease that is often misdiagnosed due to its general symptoms that characterize a number of other conditions.

18 Mar 2019

Painkillers taken by pregnant mothers unlikely to cause asthma in the child

Paracetamol or other painkillers taken during pregnancy are unlikely to cause asthma in the child, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Queen Mary University of London.

18 Mar 2019

Coronary artery calcium indicates patients' imminent risk of a heart attack

About six million people come into an emergency department every year with chest pain, but not all of them are having a heart attack -- and many are not even at risk or are at very low risk for having one.

18 Mar 2019

Fibromyalgia can be reliably detected in blood samples

For the first time, researchers have evidence that fibromyalgia can be reliably detected in blood samples - work they hope will pave the way for a simple, fast diagnosis.

18 Mar 2019

Taking painkillers during pregnancy is not responsible for asthma risk in children, study shows

A study of almost 500,000 women indicates that taking paracetamol or other painkillers during pregnancy is not responsible for increasing the risk of asthma in children.

18 Mar 2019

Gluten, lactose, food dyes in pills could be causing side effects finds study

Pills or oral medications contain inactive ingredients. Some of these may be responsible for the side effects says a new study. The study results appeared in an article published in the latest issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

18 Mar 2019

Depression screening does not improve quality of life in heart attack patients

After suffering a heart attack or unstable angina (chest pain caused by blocked arteries), patients who were systematically screened for depression and referred for treatment when appropriate did not show a significant improvement in quality of life compared with those who received no depression screening, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session.

18 Mar 2019

US opioid prescriptions drop by a half but it’s not all good news

The number of opioid prescriptions issued each month in the US dropped to less than a half. However, experts remain concerned about the number of high-risk prescriptions.

15 Mar 2019

A novel approach for treating inflammatory arthritis

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with researchers at Medtronic, have shown that noninvasive daily ultrasound stimulation of the spleen in mice with inflammatory arthritis resulted in significantly less joint swelling compared to arthritic mice that were not treated.

15 Mar 2019

Surgery to remove degenerated discs in the neck can be performed safely in outpatient setting

Surgery to remove multiple herniated or degenerated discs in the neck, a procedure known as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, can be safely performed in an outpatient setting in select patients, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

15 Mar 2019

No increased risk of complications for ambulatory total joint replacements

The typical length of stay in hospital after hip replacement and knee replacement procedures has decreased over the last decade from about four days to under two days.

15 Mar 2019

Deadly inherited blood disorders cured with bone marrow transplant

Doubling the low amount of total body radiation delivered to patients undergoing bone marrow transplants with donor cells that are only "half-matched" increased the rate of engraftment from only about 50 percent to nearly 100 percent, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

15 Mar 2019

FDA grants marketing authorization for new device to help treat carbon monoxide poisoning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of a new device, ClearMate, intended to be used in an emergency room setting to help treat patients suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

14 Mar 2019

Blunting emotional component associated with pain

Chronic pain involves more than just hurting. People suffering from pain often experience sadness, depression and lethargy. That's one reason opioids can be so addictive -- they not only dampen the pain but also make people feel euphoric.

13 Mar 2019

Rise of MRSA in hospitals linked to common disinfectant

A new study has found a possible link between the use of disinfectants in hospitals and the rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on patient wards.

13 Mar 2019

Brain pathway supporting intersection of taste and pain identified

University of Oklahoma neuroscientists have found a pathway in the brain where taste and pain intersect in a new study that originally was designed to look at the intersection of taste and food temperature.

13 Mar 2019

Study explores whether Nordic countries could head towards opioid crisis like the U.S.

Addiction to prescription opioids has reached a crisis level in the United States. Now the drug is causing concern across the Atlantic. Researchers from Denmark, Norway and Sweden urge caution after discovering that prescriptions for the pain medication oxycodone have significantly increased during the last decade.

13 Mar 2019

CT scan of the lumbar spine prior to surgery reveals undiagnosed osteoporosis in many patients

For patients contemplating spinal fusion surgery to alleviate pain, bone health is an important consideration. If a patient is found to have low bone density prior to surgery, it could affect the treatment plan before, during and after the procedure.

13 Mar 2019

New findings about efficient use of resources after orthopedic surgeries

Patients who live close to the hospital at which they have undergone total hip or total knee replacement are much more likely to visit the emergency room for follow-up care of pain, inflammation and other complaints than those who live farther away, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and The Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans.

13 Mar 2019