Publications by authors named "K Pacheco-Barrios"
Background: Chronic pain is highly burdening and multifactorial in etiology. The endogenous-pain-healing system restores body tissue to a non-painful state after an injury leading to pain, and its disruption could represent a relevant mechanism, especially for nursing interventions.
Aim: To review the literature and summarize the results that support this hypothesis.
Article Synopsis
- This study looks at how body mass index (BMI) impacts the relationship between sensory pain testing and clinical symptoms in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
- It finds that higher BMI, particularly being overweight or obese, affects how pain response mechanisms relate to symptoms like depression, and this influence is not seen in normal-weight individuals.
- The research emphasizes the importance of considering BMI in FMS treatment strategies, suggesting that high BMI disrupts the body’s ability to manage pain, which can worsen overall health outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a complex, chronic condition often marked by widespread pain and fatigue, primarily affecting women, leading to challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
- This study investigated the link between transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) metrics—like cortical excitability and inhibition—and various clinical characteristics in 108 FMS patients, revealing associations between TMS markers, pain severity, fatigue, and medication use.
- Findings suggest that disrupted brain inhibitory functions are linked to FMS symptoms, with factors like gabapentinoids and nicotine potentially impacting the brain's pain modulation mechanisms.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic pancreatic pain is a severe visceral pain condition with limited treatment options; neurostimulation techniques are explored as potential therapies targeting pain inhibition systems.
- A systematic review analyzed 22 studies on neurostimulation for chronic pancreatic pain, focusing on pain scales and opioid usage, and included randomized clinical trials and case series.
- Results indicated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) significantly reduced pain levels by up to 36%, but other neurostimulation techniques like tDCS showed less clear results.