Comorbid Chronic Pain Conditions - Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Sixth Scientific Meeting of The TMJ Association, "Comorbid Chronic Pain Conditions - Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments", is scheduled to be held on June 5-7, 2010 at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The need for this meeting and that of previous meetings has been based on two important factors. First, the number of people affected in the U.S. by temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is estimated to be approximately 36 million. The majority are women in their childbearing years. The physical, psychological and financial burden on these patients is compelling. Second, there continues to be a dearth of scientific understanding of the etiology of these conditions upon which to base diagnostics and develop safe and effective treatments. To stimulate research in this field, The TMJ Association has organized five scientific meetings beginning in the year 2000. These meetings have convened scientists in the temporomandibular disorders field and other disciplines to characterize and address the multiple symptoms and frequently found comorbid conditions in TMD patients. The theme of the sixth scientific meeting builds upon evidence from the five previous meetings demonstrating that TMD are a complex family of conditions influenced by genetics, gender, environmental and behavioral triggers mediating the vulnerability of patients to TMD and typically manifesting as more than jaw and muscle pain and jaw dysfunction. The sixth meeting will focus on the pathophysiological processes underlying the chronic pain conditions which co-exist with TMD and constitute comorbid chronic pain conditions (CCPC). They include: chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic headache, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and vulvodynia. The meeting will engage key leaders and representatives from funding and patient advocacy organizations who will develop recommendations to advance research in this field. The specific aims of the meeting are to determine: 1. What is currently known about underlying mechanisms of CCPC; 2. What we need to know about CCPC (e.g., case definition, diagnostics); 3. What research areas are most promising to pursue (best approaches, resources); 4. How best to foster the development of treatment modalities for CCPC; 5. What approaches are necessary to encourage, train, and sustain a CCPC research community; and 6. What high-risk research areas have the potential to substantially advance our understanding of CCPC. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Up to 50 million Americans experience one or more of the following six conditions, also seen in many TMD patients - they are chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, temporomandibular disorders, and vulvodynia. The estimated cost of the six pain conditions alone is $80 billion, which, because of the lack of understanding their cause and the availability of effective treatments, is essentially wasted. This meeting will accelerate the scientific research which will contribute to the reduction of the suffering and financial burden these conditions place upon the patients, their loved ones and our nation as a whole.