Is chronic pain associated with somatization/hypochondriasis? An evidence-based structured review.

Study Design: This is an evidence-based structured review.

Objectives: The objectives of this review were to answer the following questions: (1) Are somatization/hypochondriasis associated with chronic pain? (2) Is the degree of somatization/hypochondriasis related to pain levels? (3) Does pain treatment improve somatization/hypochondriasis? (4) Are some pain diagnoses differentially associated with somatization/hypochondriasis?

Methods: Fifty-seven studies which fulfilled inclusion criteria and had high quality scores were sorted by the above-mentioned objectives. Agency for health care policy and research guidelines were utilized to type and characterize the strength/consistency of the study evidence within each objective.

Does smoking status affect multidisciplinary pain facility treatment outcome?

Objectives: Smoking may be a major problem in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients. The goal of this study was to determine whether smoking status affected multidisciplinary pain facility treatment outcome.

Design: As part of a grant study, chronic LBP patients identified themselves as either current smokers (N = 81) or current nonsmokers (N = 140), and were compared by chi-square for employment status at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months after multidisciplinary pain facility treatment.

Modafinil for the treatment of pain-associated fatigue: review and case report.

Fatigue is a symptom that is frequently found in chronic pain patients with low back pain and/or neck pain. At the present time, no specific psychopharmacological treatment for this problem has been identified. Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent that the FDA has approved for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy.

Identifying patients at risk for loss to follow-up after pain center treatment.

Objective: This study was designed to identify, at admission to a pain treatment facility, characteristics of patients who will be lost to follow-up after treatment completion.

Method: Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on how they responded to the 12-month follow-up. The analysis was a between-subjects design using prospective data collected at a comprehensive pain treatment facility.