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Ed. Note: The following
is a press release from World Health Organization (WHO).
11 October 2004 – Seeking to draw attention to the need for better pain
relief for people with diseases such as cancer and AIDS, the United
Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today urged global action to help
the sick get adequate medication to alleviate their suffering.
The effort is part of the first Global Day Against Pain, a campaign
cosponsored by WHO and organized by the International Association on the
Study of Pain (IASP) and the European Federation of the IASP Chapters.
New statistics released by the two organizations indicate that one in five
people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and that one in three
are unable or less able to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their
pain. Between one-half and two-thirds of chronic pain sufferers are less
able or unable to exercise, enjoy normal sleep, perform household chores,
attend social activities, drive a car, walk or have sexual relations. The
effect of pain means that one in four persons say that relationships with
family and friends are strained or broken.
The statistics also reveal that pain is second only to fever as the most
common symptom in ambulatory persons with HIV/AIDS. Pain in HIV/AIDS
usually involves several sources at once. The causes include tissue injury
from inflammation (including autoimmune responses), infection or neoplasia:
so-called nociceptive pain. Nearly half of pain in HIV/AIDS is neuropathic,
reflecting injury to the nervous systems.
Oral morphine has proven to be a cost-effective pain medication for the
treatment of moderate to severe pain when the underlying cause is cancer
or HIV/AIDS. However, opioid analgesics are not adequately available,
particularly in developing countries with limited resources, due to
ignorance of their medical use, restrictive regulations and pricing
issues.
"The majority of those suffering unrelieved pain are in low and
middle-income countries where there is an increasing burden of chronic
diseases such as cancer and AIDS," said Dr. Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO
Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.
"Limited health resources should not be allowed to deny sick people and
their families the dignity of access to pain relief and palliative care,
which are integral to the right to enjoy good health," she said.
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