LAS VEGAS, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/—

Pain is the number one public health problem in the U.S., affecting an estimated 76.5 million Americans according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The number of people living with pain is greater than those with diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined. (American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society).  Most pain is untreated or undertreated, particularly among African Americans, Hispanics, women, and the elderly.
  Consider these facts:

—The annual cost of chronic pain in the U.S., including healthcare, lost
    income, and lost productivity, is estimated to be $100 billion.
    (National Institutes of Health)
—Low back pain is the most common type of pain followed by severe
    headache or migraine pain, neck pain, and facial ache or pain.
    (National Institute of Health Statistics)
—African Americans and Hispanics are affected by racial profiling for
    diversion and undertreatment by some physicians. (National Center for
    Health Statistics)
—Women seek help for pain more frequently than men, but are less likely
    to receive treatment.  (National Center for Health Statistics)
—A Johns Hopkins study of adults with nonmalignant pain (42% back pain)
    who were consecutively referred to a tertiary care pain center shows
    nineteen-percent reported current passive suicidal ideation, 13% had
    active thoughts of committing suicide, 5% had a current suicide plan,
    and 5% reported a previous suicide attempts.

The American Academy of Pain Management (the Academy), the only professional organization dedicated to educating clinicians about pain from an interdisciplinary perspective, will address the undertreatment of pain as well as new ways to treat pain at its 18th Annual Clinical Meeting, from September 27-30, 2007, at the Red Rock Resort, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Called, “Knowledge, Compassion, and Care,” this meeting will bring together clinicians from a wide variety of disciplines and medical traditions (Eastern and Western) to learn about current diagnostic methods, treatment strategies, and research in pain management. The meeting will feature world- renowned speakers, and include presentations on the pharmacological management of pain, behavioral therapies, and psychosocial aspects of pain. The meeting will also include discussion about pain management from an ethical perspective.

“Pain is arguably America’s number one public health problem. Yet most pain goes untreated or is undertreated,” says Lennie Duensing, Executive Director of the Academy. “Millions of Americans suffer with pain that is debilitating and prevents them from leading normal lives because most healthcare professionals have not been educated about how to treat pain. Another reason is that effective pain management most often requires interdisciplinary treatment, which most patients do not receive. To complicate things more, many healthcare professionals are now fearful about prescribing opioids - powerful, but highly effective, medications that are often abused. At this unique meeting, clinicians will learn together and network to discover ways to provide quality care for people with chronic pain.”