Introduction: Visceral pain is a symptom reported by over 70% of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sufferers. So far, a single, specific cause of this debilitating state has not been established. Chronic pain is one of the most important factors decreasing the quality of life in IBD course. Concurrently, management of pain is the most challenging issue encountered by clinicians in IBD treatment.
Areas covered: This review focuses on pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease-caused visceral pain and explores currently available approaches to its management. We also covered recent pharmacological developments in the field.
Conclusions: Pain-related disability has major effects on quality of life and on functional and social outcomes in IBD patients. Currently, there is no one standardized method of managing chronic visceral pain in IBD. Therefore, future development, focusing primarily on alleviating the pain, but also on reducing inflammation, is essential.
Keywords: Chronic abdominal pain; Inflammatory bowel disease; Nociception; Pain managemant; Pharmacotherapy.