Pain will be assessed by biomarkers
A blood test will objectively measure the level of pain
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Until now, doctors have relied on the patient's subjective opinion or their own clinical impression. The advent of objective analysis will change how and to whom strong opioid analgesics that are addictive are prescribed.
Researchers from Indiana University (USA) have made a breakthrough in the laboratory diagnosis of pain. The team has created a first-of-its-kind prototype of an analysis that uses blood biomarkers to determine a patient's pain level, according to the university's website.
Article by Niculescu et al. Towards precision medicine for pain: diagnostic biomarkers and repurposed drugs is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry – VM.
The test will objectively assess the condition, and the doctor will know, and not assume, how severe the pain is. Because until now, doctors have to rely on the subjective opinion of the patient or their own clinical impression.
The development is of great importance for people who are prescribed strong opioid analgesics. Over time, they are addictive and may not always be effective for a particular case, the authors emphasize.
Now it will be possible to prescribe painkillers based on specific blood parameters. And the patient will receive the drug he needs, and not a strong general medicine.
The detected biomarkers will be compared with possible treatment options, a kind of database, for maximum effectiveness of therapy, the researchers explain. They will also indicate if the patient has a tendency to form chronic pain.
The authors are confident that a personalized approach will reduce the need to use opioid analgesics. Now the scale is such that in the USA the situation is called an epidemic.
In addition to universal biomarkers of pain, scientists also managed to find out that some work better for men and others for women. Now the team will continue its research in order to study the indicators for specific conditions – headache, fibromyalgia and others.
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