El deterioro cognitivo: un factor a tener en cuenta en la evaluación e intervención de pacientes con dolor crónico

摘要

Chronic pain constitutes a serious public health problem due to its high prevalence and the social and personal consequences. The presence of chronic pain has been associated with mild cognitive impairment, especially in patients with fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain, and it has been also related with other disease like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and the use of certain drugs, usually taken on these patients. This document revises the complex issue of the cognitive process and the several elements that comprise it. Likewise, we review the different mechanisms by which pain affect cognitive process and the way it could be affected by other disease, or by drugs commonly used on treatment. It is necessary to assess mild cognitive impairment on chronic pain patients, in order to prevent the develop and the evolution of cognitive disease to a more severe impairment, as well as help to improve therapeutic response to pain and increase health related quality of life of patients.