Time: 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
Location: Dental Sciences Building, Room D7-11
There are a number of medical conditions that have been categorized as having both beneficial and destructive characteristics. We think of acute pain as providing a valuable learning experience in our developmental years. Later in life chronic pain serves no useful biological purpose. Similarly, acute inflammation has a protective function and provides an internal mechanism to deal with injury, infection and disease. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, has been shown to have a causal role in a number of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and most recently a number of chronic pain conditions. The role of inflammation in age related conditions such as arthritis has also received a lot of attention. The topic of chronic inflammation and its contributing role in a variety of pain conditions has been a hot topic in recent years (see attached). Its role in fibromyalgia has received special attention (see attached) and in recent years a role in neuropathic pain has been shown (see attached). Clearly there are many questions to be answered about the potential therapeutic targets surrounding the contribution of inflammation and the role of the immune system in chronic pain. Although it has been a topic of discussion for several years it has special relevance to the elderly and therefore should serve as a nice platform for an enthusiastic discussion that will be led by Dr. Joe Riley.
Graham 2006 Hostility – pain – inflammation
J Rheumatol-2008-WANG-1366-70
Marchand 2005 nature Immune and chronic pain review