| Why would an article with such an esoteric title be | | | | common place to know or to know of an |
| of interest, of importance and relevancy to more | | | | individual requiring pain control for a chronic |
| than just Pain Management health care workers. | | | | non-cancerous problem. |
| Shouldn’t such an article be of more | | | | Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is associated |
| importance and interest in a Professional Journal | | | | with poor outcomes, a greater incidence of |
| than it would be to the educated general populous. | | | | hospitalization, more difficult to treat pain |
| What is behind the idea of publishing it on the | | | | syndromes, and, of course, the inevitable patient |
| Internet, situated so that many more than just | | | | dissatisfaction with therapy. None of the previous |
| medical minds would come across it by | | | | characteristics are found, in general, amongst the |
| happenstance. | | | | non-cancerous patients. |
| A large percentage of the general population is | | | | Breakthrough pain in non-cancerous patients is |
| thought to either listen to, watch, or read any of | | | | known to be prevalent, severe, and it shares |
| the many ways the News Media bombards us | | | | several characteristics with cancer patients, such |
| with what their financial backers’ opinions | | | | as that it is typically rapid in onset and frequently |
| would have us know. Therefore we must assume | | | | encountered. Studies have shown that nearly |
| that this same population should, by now, | | | | three quarters of patients with non-cancer pain |
| understand how the median age of death, in our | | | | have significant episodes of breakthrough pain. |
| country as in others, has been prolonged. We | | | | For the general population, is not important what |
| attribute this increasing life expectancy, over the | | | | the actual treatments are for pain control in |
| previous few centuries, by all of the many | | | | chronic non-cancerous patients. What is important |
| scientific advances, by the formation of and | | | | for everyone to understand that a growing part |
| stabilization of standardized-religion, and by the | | | | of our general population with be suffering with |
| many laws of behavior, in-acted to prevent | | | | chronic non-cancerous pain. We need to start to |
| man’s destruction of his/her fellow man | | | | modify and/or drop, when appropriate, our |
| woman. | | | | misconceptions of individuals (young and old) that |
| For these and other reasons, the percentage of | | | | complain of chronic pain that proves to be |
| the population living over the age of 65 increases | | | | non-cancerous in origin. We must study how |
| with every passing decade and century. At this | | | | individuals on narcotic therapy do when attempting |
| point I hope that you can begin to better | | | | to continue with accepted normal daily functions. |
| understand the importance of pain control in | | | | Such functions would include work, play, and |
| chronic non-cancer patients. Since the percentage | | | | care-giving. I feel that we will be surprised how |
| of the population over 65 is getting larger with | | | | much of a normal life these individuals can live if |
| each passing decade, it is becoming more | | | | given the chance. |