Zusammenfassung
Spielte der Placeboeffekt ehemals vorwiegend eine (eher unliebsame) Rolle bei randomisierten
kontrollierten Studien, so treten nun vermehrt die mit dem Placeboeffekt verbundenen
Chancen in den Vordergrund. Dieser Beitrag bespricht bisherige Forschungserkenntnisse
zum Placeboeffekt bei chronischen Schmerzen und zeigt, wie durch eine gezielte Beeinflussung
des therapeutischen Kontexts die Wirksamkeit pharmakologisch aktiver Schmerzmedikamente
gesteigert werden kann.
Abstract
Placebo hypoalgesia has been found to play an important role in every health care
by modulating patientsʼ responses to pharmacologically active analgesic treatments.
It may be seen as reflecting the capacity for endogenous pain modulation. Enhancing
the efficacy of analgesic treatments by boosting endogenous pain modulation might
be particularly relevant for chronic pain patients. Research into placebo hypoalgesic
responses to chronic pain is sparse, however. In healthy subjects, placebo hypoalgesia
is induced by expectations of pain relief through verbal information and learning
experiences. Here we review the existing evidence on placebo hypoalgesia to chronic
pain. To our knowledge, placebo hypoalgesia to chronic pain has been investigated
experimentally in chronic back and chronic musculoskeletal pain, neuropathic pain
after thoracotomy, and episodic migraine. Results point towards a maintenance of placebo
hypoalgesic responses in chronic pain populations, thus highlighting the potential
benefit of boosting placebo hypoalgesic responses in the treatment of chronic pain.
Strategies on boosting placebo hypoalgesic responses in every day healthcare are presented.
Schlüsselwörter
Placeboeffekt - Placebohypoalgesie - chronischer Schmerz - Erwartung - klassische
Konditionierung
Key words
placebo effect - placebo hypoalgesia - chronic pain - expectation - classical conditioning