Chronic Pain in Inflammatory Arthritis: Mechanisms, Metrology, and Emerging Targets-A Focus on the JAK-STAT Pathway

Pain Res Manag. 2018 Feb 7:2018:8564215. doi: 10.1155/2018/8564215. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Chronic pain is nowadays considered not only the mainstay symptom of rheumatic diseases but also "a disease itself." Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon, and in inflammatory arthritis, it derives from multiple mechanisms, involving both synovitis (release of a great number of cytokines) and peripheral and central pain-processing mechanisms (sensitization). In the last years, the JAK-STAT pathway has been recognized as a pivotal component both in the inflammatory process and in pain amplification in the central nervous system. This paper provides a summary on pain in inflammatory arthritis, from pathogenesis to clinimetric instruments and treatment, with a focus on the JAK-STAT pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Arthritis / complications*
  • Chronic Pain / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Janus Kinases / metabolism*
  • STAT Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*

Substances

  • STAT Transcription Factors
  • Janus Kinases