Breakthrough pain

Anna Adamczyk; Zbigniew Żylicz; Małgorzata Krajnik

Vol 2, No 3 (2003): Polish Palliative Medicine

Artykuły poglądowe

Published online: 2003-05-29

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Breakthrough pain

Anna Adamczyk, Zbigniew Żylicz, Małgorzata Krajnik

Advances in Palliative Medicine 2003;2(3):157-166.

Vol 2, No 3 (2003): Polish Palliative Medicine

Artykuły poglądowe

Published online: 2003-05-29

Abstract

Constant nociceptive pain which is experienced at rest, responds promptly to the round the clock schedules of opioids and other analgesics. Some other types of pain may be more problematic or even untreatable. The breakthrough pain, defined as pain flares in patients with well controlled background pain, occurs in 40–90% of patents. The breakthrough pain may substantially impair patient’s quality of life. It can be subdivided in the incident pain (usually on movement), spontaneous or idiopathic pain (unrelated to patient action) and end-of dose-pain occurring just prior to the next dose of analgesics. The diagnosis and management of different types of BP are reviewed. In most cases appropriate diagnosis leads to effective treatment.