TITLE:
Central Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Report
AUTHORS:
Roger S. Moon, Yong-Jian Lin, Howard L. Rosner
KEYWORDS:
Central Pain, Parkinson’s Disease, Dopamine, Dopaminergic
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
27,
2018
ABSTRACT: Pain in Parkinson’s disease is common, with an estimated prevalence up to 85% of those with the disease. Central pain in Parkinson’s disease is poorly understood and the role of pharmacological treatment, including the use of dopamine agonists, needs further investigation. Our objective is to discuss a case report of central pain in Parkinson’s disease in an outpatient setting. A 67-year-old-male patient with Parkinson’s disease presented with right-sided pain, which was refractory to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and opioid agonists. The initiation of dopaminergic therapy resulted in a near complete relief of pain. This case illustrates the need for a multidisciplinary approach to better care for Parkinson’s disease patients with central pain, and further study to identify the pathophysiologic mechanism.