What is Impaired pain sensation?
Impaired pain sensation means an individual has a reduced ability to feel pain or other sensory stimulation. This may range from feeling nothing, when others would feel pain or sensation, to feeling some sensation, usually numbness or similar.
It can often refer to an inability to respond to, or feel, different temperatures whether hot or cold. For example, not responding to the touch of boiling water, or ice water.
This can be dangerous, as it makes it difficult for individuals with impaired pain sensation to understand what not to touch, and in some cases may cause repeated injury. This is especially true in children with impaired pain sensation.
Understanding nervous system-related symptoms and features.
Symptoms may affect multiple parts of the body. Understanding which part of the body a symptom affects, can help us to better understand the potential underlying causes of a symptom, including a rare disease or genetic syndrome.
The nervous system is made up of a network of nerves and cells that carry messages to and from both the brain and the spinal cord. Within the nervous system are the Central nervous system and the Peripheral nervous system.
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system.
Within the peripheral nervous system are the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic system controls responses to sensory stimuli, while the autonomic nervous system controls the inner workings of organs, including digestion, breathing and the heartbeat.
Sleep is one body function, controlled by the autonomic nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system.
What should I do next?
In some instances, impaired pain sensation may be one of the features of a rare disease or genetic syndrome. To find out if someone with Impaired Pain Sensation, may be due to a genetic syndrome, it is important to have a consultation and evaluation with a clinical genetic specialist. Specialists may also suggest specific genetic testing or other types of tests to help reach a diagnosis. FDNA’s AI technology can help speed up the diagnostic process by analyzing facial features and other health information.