Pain Called a Disease, Not a Symptom

Chronic and recurrent plain is a disease in its own right, not just a symptom, according to two Israeli scientists who published their views in an editorial in the August 17, 2004, issue of Pain Practice.

They based their case on the fact that chronic pain can persist long after its usefulness as an initial alarm to the body has ended, and even after damaged tissue has healed or a precipitating disease has been cured, proving it much more than a symptom. In their article, they point out that chronic pain is "clearly a very widespread condition as several recent studies revealed that 50% of adults surveyed suffer from one or more types of pain or discomfort at any given point in time,” and that "although few people die of pain, many die in pain and even more live in pain.”

The two scientists belong to the European Federation of IASP Chapters (EFIC). IASP stands for International Association for the Study of Pain. An essay on pain by the scientists evolved into a declaration by EFIC that "Pain is a major healthcare problem in Europe. Although acute pain may reasonably be considered a symptom of a disease or injury, chronic and recurrent pain is a specific healthcare problem, a disease in its own right.” They also pointed to data that emphasize the financial implications of pain, since the overall costs are comparable to those of cancer and heart disease.

The scientists involved were David Niv, M.D., director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Pain Medication and Pain Research Laboratory at the Sourasky Medical Center (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Marshall Devor, Ph.D., laboratory head and chairman of the department of cell and animal biology of the Institute of Life Sciences and past director for pain research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).