Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and tenderness and closely associated with high levels of stress. FMS is therefore often considered a stress-related disease. A comparative study was conducted with 99 individuals diagnosed with FMS and a control group of 50 pain-free individuals.

Towards international collaboration of clinical research networks for EMDR: the EMDR Pain Network Germany.

Background: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment, primarily established for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While it is increasingly being applied to chronic pain, its efficacy in this area is not yet supported by the same level of evidence as that which exists for PTSD. Studies in this area often show heterogeneous results with small case numbers, and the potential side effects of EMDR in the treatment of chronic pain are not well understood.

Refocusing of Attention on Positive Events Using Monitoring-Based Feedback and Microinterventions for Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in the PerPAIN Randomized Controlled Trial: Protocol for a Microrandomized Trial.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) affects between 13% and 47% of the population, with a global growth rate of 20.3% within the last 15 years, suggesting that there is a high need for effective treatments. Pain diaries have long been a common tool in nonpharmacological pain treatment for monitoring and providing feedback on patients' symptoms in daily life.

Clinical Phenomenology of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Male Patients: Same But Different.

The majority of knowledge about fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) derives from studies of female patients. Little is known about the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of male patients with FMS. In this retrospective cohort study with a prospective posttreatment follow-up, we investigated whether male patients with FMS differ from female patients in terms of 1) symptom burden, 2) psychological characteristics, and 3) clinical treatment response.

How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting.

Objective: Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is one of the most common reasons for consultations in primary care, in addition to simple acute infections. Questionnaire-based screening instruments to identify patients at high risk of SSD are thus of great clinical relevance. Although screening instruments are frequently used, it is currently unclear to what extent they are influenced by the concurrent presence of simple acute infections.

Stress biomarkers in individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Evidence suggests an involvement of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation in the development and maintenance of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). However, studies on the stress response via the HPA-axis in individuals with FMS show conflicting results. To better understand the relationship between FMS and HPA-axis dysregulation, we (1) systematically summarized the current level of evidence on HPA biomarkers in individuals with FMS compared with individuals without and (2) evaluated whether FMS is associated with a specific pattern of HPA dysregulation.

The PerPAIN trial: a pilot randomized controlled trial of personalized treatment allocation for chronic musculoskeletal pain-a protocol.

Background: The therapy of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) is complex and the treatment results are often insufficient despite numerous therapeutic options. While individual patients respond very well to specific interventions, other patients show no improvement. Personalized treatment assignment offers a promising approach to improve response rates; however, there are no validated cross-disease allocation algorithms available for the treatment of chronic pain in validated personalized pain interventions.

Preferred and perceived participation roles of oncological patients in medical decision-making: Results of a survey among users of the German Cancer Information Service.

Background: Cancer patients are facing a variety of treatment and other disease-related decisions. This study aims to provide insights into preferred and perceived participation roles in decision-making among patients with diverse tumors using the German Cancer Information Service (CIS).

Methods: Patients' decision-making preferences and experiences were assessed as a part of a cross-sectional survey among CIS users.

[Psychosomatics in Pain Therapy - Challenges of Chronic Pain].

Although there is growing awareness among physicians regarding chronic pain, the patient with chronic pain is often considered a complex, if not "difficult" patient in practice. Patients with chronic pain are thus at increased risk of being hastily dismissed and sent on their way. At the same time, therapeutic options are often limited and therapeutic successes not satisfying.

Moving towards patient-centered care and shared decision-making in Germany.

The main focus of this paper is to describe the development and current state of policy, research and implementation of patient-centered care (PCC) and shared decision-making (SDM) in Germany. What is the current state in health policy? Since 2013, the Law on Patients' Rights has standardized all rights and responsibilities regarding medical care for patients in Germany. This comprises the right to informed decisions, comprehensive and comprehensible information, and decisions based on a clinician-patient partnership.

[Psychosocial factors in pain and pain management : A statement].

Although psychosocial factors have a profound impact on the experience of pain and pain recovery, the transfer to clinical application has so far been insufficient. With this article, a task force of the special interest group "Psychosocial Aspects of Pain" of the German Pain Society (Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft e. V.

Higher Levels of Psychological Burden and Alterations in Personality Functioning in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

: Is there evidence for increased psychological distress and alterations in personality functioning in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) compared to healthy controls (HCs)? : In patients with CD and UC, perceived stress is closely associated with changes in disease activity. The stress response is influenced by psychological burden and personality functioning, but only little is known about these factors in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). : A total of 62 patients with an endoscopic ensured CD/UC without remission ( = 31 per group) and 31 HC were included.

Development and validation of a web-based patient decision aid for immunotherapy for patients with metastatic melanoma: study protocol for a multicenter randomized trial.

Background: Patients with metastatic melanoma and their physicians are confronted with a complex decision regarding first-line therapy. Risks and benefits vary considerably between various treatment options. With this in mind, we aim to develop and evaluate a patient decision aid (PtDA) to inform patients about the risks and benefits of treatment options, namely, immunotherapy as monotherapy, immunotherapy as combination therapy, and treatment with BRAF/MEK inhibitors.

Different Dimensions of Affective Processing in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

Deficits in affective processing are associated with impairments in both mental and physical health. The role of affective processing in patients with functional somatic complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unclear. Most studies have focused on the capacity for emotional awareness and expression, but neglect other dimensions of affective processing.

The Validity of Somatic Symptom Disorder in Patients With Gastrointestinal Complaints.

Background And Goal: The current diagnostic concept of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) aims to capture psychological burden due to bodily complaints independent of the medical cause. The aim of this study was to compare patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) complaints with SSD (SSD+) and without SSD (SSD-) along sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics.

Study: This cross-sectional study included 199 patients (n=92 SSD+ and n=107 SSD-) with distressing and chronic abdominal/lower GI complaints (≥6 mo) recruited from several primary, secondary, and tertiary medical care units.

[Psychosocial factors in the prevention of pain].

The question of pain prevention is becoming increasingly important, both in society and in science. According to the International Society for the Study of Pain, general areas for which pain prevention measures can be recommended have been defined. These approaches are mostly limited to unspecific recommendations with the aim of improving general health behaviour.

Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and illness anxiety in irritable bowel syndrome - The impact of gender.

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder with a complex biopsychosocial etiopathogenesis. Various psychosocial factors like adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and illness anxiety appear to be relevant, but underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. Furthermore, there are indicators of gender specific effects of ACE on IBS.

High Rates of Non-Response Across Treatment Attempts in Chronic Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Results From a Follow-Up Study in Tertiary Care.

Despite a wealth of treatment options for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), data on the subjective experience of treatments in ongoing clinical practice are sparse. This follow-up study assessed the individual usage of treatment modalities by IBS patients over time and investigated the patients' subjective experience of therapeutic impact. The study was conducted at the Specialty Clinic for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders of the Heidelberg University Hospital.

Does symptom activity explain psychological differences in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease? Results from a multi-center cross-sectional study.

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have similar symptoms and are affected by psychological factors via gut-brain-interactions. However, previous studies on IBS and IBD showed inconsistent results regarding psychological factors, potentially because they failed to consider the impact of symptom activity. The aim of this study was 1) to compare psychological distress and psychological risk factors among patients with IBS, IBD and healthy controls (HC), and 2) to assess the impact of symptom activity.

No evidence for altered plasma NGF and BDNF levels in fibromyalgia patients.

There has been a surging interest in the putative role of peripheral growth factors in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia, specifically in the peripheral sensitization that occurs in chronic pain disorders. This cross-sectional study set out to assess and compare brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in plasma samples from fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls. Plasma BDNF and NGF were measured in 89 fibromyalgia patients and 36 pain-free controls, and compared using ANCOVA controlling for potential confounders, as well as Bayesian methods for parameter estimation and model evaluation.

Stressful Life Events Moderate the Relationship Between Changes in Symptom Severity and Health-related Quality of Life in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Objectives: The relationship between changes in symptom severity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which may be impacted by stressful life events, in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between changes in symptom severity and HRQOL and examined the moderating role of stressful life events in patients with IBS.

Methods: This study is part of a cohort follow-up study on psychological factors in patients with IBS in tertiary care, and it included 158 patients.

Widespread pain is a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality: results from the Framingham Heart Study.

Aims: With the introduction of widespread pain (WSP) as a separate diagnostic code in the ICD-11, WSP has now become an own clinical diagnosis independent of the underlying pathophysiology. Research has reported aetiological associations of WSP and cardiovascular diseases. However, studies on mortality risk in individuals with WSP have reported inconsistent results.