Should inflammatory pain and inflammation be attenuated by analgesics?

Abstract

Inflammation is a defense response generated against invasion in order to maintain homeostasis, while pain is the sensation to avoid further damage and promote wound healing. Inflammatory pain often accompanies the chronic inflammatory state arising due to surgery, cancer, aging, and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, the approach towards inflammatory pain is to control pain without inhibiting inflammatory responses that are essential for defense. Since analgesics including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, opioids, and local anesthetics have immune-suppressive effects, their use may inhibit inflammation and delay the wound-healing process, further resulting in the development of chronic pain. Analgesics influence wound repair and can consequently lead to infections and progression towards cancer.