[Chronic pain management: societal impact]. / La prise en charge de la douleur chronique: un problème de société.

Pain is a real issue of public health, quality and evolution of a system of health test: this is a major social problem. Pain management meets a humanistic, ethical purpose and dignity of man because of the physical and psychological implications. It induces a disability which excludes the patient of society gradually or suddenly. The physical pain and mental suffering to all ages of life make more vulnerable people weakened by disease. Rebel chronic pain are sources of disability, disabilities, disability and major alterations in the quality of life. All of these data shows the impact of pain and its intensity on the professional conditions, on professional activity and productivity, on the use of care systems (very significant increase in medical consultations, hospitalizations), as well as on the mental and physical health. These results confirmed analyses which consider that the unrelieved pain has a major economic impact on care systems and constitutes a public health problem with around two thirds of persons professionally impacted by pain. The progress of medicine has helped the healing of certain serious diseases, but also favoured acute diseases to turn to chronic diseases. The result is an increase in of lifetime sometimes without disease, but this survival may be also accompanied by disease or disability. Progress, pain and suffering, the end of life, ethics will be the core of the basic thoughts of tomorrow.