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Most people feel physical and emotional pain at some point.It’s a natural problem and those who don’t feel it are diagnosed with it Congenital insensitivity to pain. They are the ones who cannot feel.
Aside from these people, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know what emotional or physical pain feels like. I’ve been to the emergency room several times due to severe pain, of course, This is a symptom of a medical condition.
Chronic pain is ongoing pain that lasts for months, years, or a lifetime and gets worse over time. It may be caused by inflammation or neurological dysfunction.
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Chronic pain in Colombia It affects nearly 25 million Colombians, or 53.6% of the Colombian population has experienced infection for more than three months.
According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD11) implemented in Colombia from 2022, this type of pain is considered a disease in itself. This result was made known to the country at the 2023 International Pain Congress, where the results of a pain survey conducted by the Colombian Association for the Study of Pain (ACED) were presented.
pain is This is one of the most concerning and concerning symptoms that affects people, and is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical attention.
According to ACED President Felipe Andrés Mejía, pain can be considered acute when it has the following characteristics: Due to its high intensity, rapid appearance, and short duration, Usually a sign of physical injury that usually goes away once the injury has healed.
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than three months and, due to its intensity, affects the quality of life at different social levels, e.g. Various intensities of self-care, physical activity, work, rest and sleep, social life, family and sex.
To be precise, its high prevalence in the country has attracted the attention of experts.
“Chronic pain In Colombia, this occurs more frequently in acute pain, This points to a trend toward chronic pain in the country.This is caused by different factors, the main one being Patients did not seek specialized care in a timely manner. For Colombians, suffering for more than three months has become the norm, and this is where we need to change our perspective. “Mejía said.
Furthermore, the study details that the activities that have the greatest impact on the quality of life of Colombians due to pain are: self-care (20%), physical activity (19%) and work (17%).
Regarding disability due to chronic pain conditions, the study found that 22% of people said they were disabled by general, physical or emotional pain. The frequency and duration of disability ranges from less than a week to 1 to 4 weeks, with the latter occurring in 70% of the population.
“This data has a profound impact on people There is no formal employment relationship, “Well, it represents a complexity that directly impacts their economy and quality of life,” Mejía said.
What hurts Colombia?
The most common types of pain include Musculoskeletal pain, Consider that 19.6 million citizens express this opinion, among whom pain occurs mainly in the lumbar area, with a prevalence of 18%.
It occurs in the head, accounting for 19%, and in the knees, accounting for 25%. When you have low back or lower back pain, It is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, the second leading medical cause after respiratory illness (the common cold), and causes nearly 40% of absenteeism.
self-medication ACED investigation shows this practice makes Colombians’ pain management situation worse 42% were found to self-medicate.
The above reiterates the Colombian cultural objection to this practice and to following the advice of family members and pharmacists when treating pain.
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On this topic, Mejía assures, “Take easily available medications such as analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs Without any professional advice this is very dangerous, Among other things, because the temporary relief these produce masks the underlying disease causing it, prolonging accurate diagnosis and leading to chronic pain. “
What should be done?
The ACED president stressed that Colombians suffering from pain are called upon to first see a doctor so that appropriate treatment can be carried out under the supervision of experts. Experts stress the need for greater recognition of chronic pain as a disease in its own right, which is crucial for Colombia’s health system.
did make some progress Acknowledging that chronic pain is a disease in this country, Considering that from the beginning of 2022, ICD-11 will officially come into effect, its digital international classification contains more than 10,000 disease codes that can be used in combination to provide more detailed information about people’s health status. patients and, in this way, provide better chronic pain care.
However, although the health service has started the mandatory transition process since the above-mentioned date, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Care, greater efforts are still needed to achieve this goal at the national level. For example, the Ministry of Health has strengthened social engagement and rapprochement with different institutions and academia to comply with World Health Organization guidelines.
Finally, Mejía emphasized that “it is crucial that there is a Illuminating efforts between Colombian authorities, academia and the private sector Promote initiatives aimed at recognizing chronic pain as a disease and promoting education on its correct diagnosis, considering that according to an ACED sample of more than 50 registered medical schools across the country, “9 out of 10” undergraduate programs There are no courses dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of pain, which is why it is necessary to include this topic of great public impact in academic training curricula. “