Pain in central and peripheral demyelinating disorders - Multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome

Moderate to severe pain is a common feature of central and peripheral demye linating disorders. Pain in multiple sclerosis tends to occur when the dise ase is well-established and usually lingers infinitely. Pain in Guillain-Ba rre syndrome tends to be particularly severe at the time of initial present ation and usually resolves over 8 to 12 weeks. Pain in both conditions is g enerally caused by either the direct effects of nerve injury or the result of paralysis and prolonged immobilization. Pain syndromes are well-defined in each disorder based on the underlying pathophysiology. Treatment involve s a variety of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches individualized for each specific pain syndrome.