Ketoprophen and etoricoxib in acute pain treatment in primary care settings

The current definition of pain emphasises its multidimensionality and subjectivity, which translates into the individualisation of treatment of pain patients. Acute pain plays a warning and defensive role and is defined as a physiological reaction to noxious stimuli.

In some patients with inappropriate acute pain treatment, pain chronification and central sensitisation may occur. Multimodal pain treatment is recommended in acute pain, which means simultaneous application of various analgesic methods: pharmacotherapy, anaesthetic, psychological, and neuromodulation methods. The principle of modern pharmacotherapy is the optimal selection of analgesics, depending on the pain intensity and pain pathomechanism. In any type of receptor (nociceptive) pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are effective. The article discusses two selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that differ in their pharmacological profile: ketoprofen, belonging to classical non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors, and etoricoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor. The paper presents a series of studies confirming the effectiveness of both substances in acute pain treatment. The choice of the appropriate NSAID should be based on data on its efficacy and the risk of side effects; therefore, the drug should be chosen individually for each patient, depending on pain intensity, existing or potential factors increasing the risk of side effects, and possible interactions with drugs used for other conditions.