Hyperalgesia

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Hyperalgesia is an abnormal increase in sensitivity or an amplification of normally painful or uncomfortable stimulus. A person with hyperalgesia experiences an excessive amount of pain compared to the physical severity of damage or illness in their body.[1]

Generalized hyperalgesia is common in fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and some studies indicate it may be partly caused by a mechanism in which microglial accumulation and activation is involved,[2] as well as other possible immune system changes, such as complement system product C4a.[3]

Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]

Hypersensitivity to pain is a sensory symptom recognized in the Canadian Consensus Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and hyperalgesia is one of the examples of significant pain included in the International Consensus Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.[4][5]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

  • 2010, Evidence for generalized hyperalgesia in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case control study[6]
  • 2014, A chronic fatigue syndrome model demonstrates mechanical allodynia and muscular hyperalgesia via spinal microglial activation[2]
  • 2019, Exercise-induce hyperalgesia, complement system and elastase activation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - a secondary analysis of experimental comparative studies[3]

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Shaikh, Maliha; Hakim, Alan J; Shenker, Nicholas (2010). "The physiology of pain". Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain. Elsevier. pp. 35–52. doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-3005-5.00003-3. ISBN 9780702030055.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Yasui, Masaya; Yoshimura, Takashi; Takeuchi, So; Tokizane, Kyohei; Tsuda, Makoto; Inoue, Kazuhide; Kiyama, Hiroshi (September 2014). "A Chronic fatigue syndrome model demonstrates mechanical allodynia and muscular hyperalgesia via spinal microglial activation: Microglia-Mediated Pain Under Chronic Stress". Glia. 62 (9): 1407–1417. doi:10.1002/glia.22687. PMID 24852223.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Polli, Andrea; Van Oosterwijck, Jessica; Meeus, Mira; Lambrecht, Luc; Nijs, Jo; Ickmans, Kelly (January 28, 2019). "Exercise-induce hyperalgesia, complement system and elastase activation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – a secondary analysis of experimental comparative studies". Scandinavian Journal of Pain. 19 (1): 183–192. doi:10.1515/sjpain-2018-0075. ISSN 1877-8879. PMID 30325737.
  4. Carruthers, Bruce M.; Jain, Anil Kumar; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Peterson, Daniel L.; Klimas, Nancy G.; Lerner, A. Martin; Bested, Alison C.; Flor-Henry, Pierre; Joshi, Pradip; Powles, AC Peter; Sherkey, Jeffrey A.; van de Sande, Marjorie I. (2003). "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols" (PDF). Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 11 (2): 7–115. doi:10.1300/J092v11n01_02.
  5. Carruthers, BM; van de Sande, MI; De Meirleir, KL; Klimas, NG; Broderick, G; Mitchell, T; Staines, D; Powles, ACP; Speight, N; Vallings, R; Bateman, L; Bell, DS; Carlo-Stella, N; Chia, J; Darragh, A; Gerken, A; Jo, D; Lewis, DP; Light, AR; Light, KC; Marshall-Gradisnik, S; McLaren-Howard, J; Mena, I; Miwa, K; Murovska, M; Stevens, SR (2012), Myalgic encephalomyelitis: Adult & Paediatric: International Consensus Primer for Medical Practitioners (PDF), ISBN 978-0-9739335-3-6
  6. Meeus, Mira; Nijs, Jo; Huybrechts, Sven; Truijen, Steven (April 2010). "Evidence for generalized hyperalgesia in chronic fatigue syndrome: a case control study". Clinical Rheumatology. 29 (4): 393–398. doi:10.1007/s10067-009-1339-0. ISSN 0770-3198. PMID 20077123.