Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: Editorial on the Research Topic Women in science: neuropathic painChronic pain is a significant public health burden worldwide.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of chronic pain, defined as pain lasting greater than three months is 20.4% of the adult population in the US (1).Those suffering from neuropathic pain, defined as pain resulting from damage to the peripheral or central nervous system, comprise a significant percentage of those with chronic pain (2).A number of diverse etiologies result in damage to the nervous system and the expression of neuropathic pain.These include diabetes, trauma, stroke, infections and chemotherapeutic agents (3-5).Several studies using telephone, computer or mail surveys or clinical examination have estimated the prevalence of neuropathic pain at 10% of the US adult population (6, 7).A number of studies have found a similar prevalence of neuropathic pain in other parts of the world (8-11), although there is considerable variability among some reports (2).The prevalence of neuropathic pain is not uniform across demographic groups and is reportedly higher in a number of subpopulations including women and those with lower household incomes (8, 9, 11).In the US, the cost attributed to the management of chronic pain conditions is estimated to be over $200 billion a year in combined direct health care expenditures and loss of productivity (12).Beyond the economic burden, the negative impact of neuropathic pain on the quality of life of patients and the suffering of those affected cannot be easily quantified (12-14).Neuropathic pain is reportedly of higher intensity and duration than non-neuropathic pain and is difficult to treat (5, 9, 15).In addition, many patients with neuropathic pain also experience other debilitating symptoms, which may include anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances (3, 5, 13, 14).Current pharmacological treatments for neuropathic pain are sub-optimal and significant adverse effects limit the use of many therapies (5, 9, 13).The need to develop better treatments for neuropathic pain and comorbidities and to more efficiently target resources to disproportionately affected populations is therefore great.This research topic, "Women in Science: Neuropathic Pain", highlights recent work in which women scientists who are dedicated to studying neuropathic pain and other painful conditions have had a crucial role in the research team.The collection includes a set of manuscripts addressing several important issues related to neuropathic pain including the identification of demographic groups at greater risk for developing neuropathic pain, identifying disease conditions with a neuropathic pain component, and identifying
Source: Frontiers in Pain Research
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,125
OpenAlex ID: W4386068028