Sensitivity Disturbances in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Our observations seem to indicate that, although sharing a common hypersensitivity background, multiple mechanisms may modulate perceptual somatic and visceral responses in patients with IBS and FM.

Widespread Hyperalgesia in Adolescents With Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Results From a Large Population-Based Study

“…4,8,58 In addition, we found lower pressure pain thresholds among adults reporting IBS symptoms in a previous population based study. 47 Unlike adolescents, this result emerged non-significant after adjusting for sex and non-abdominal chronic pain.…”

Bacterial Cystitis is Accompanied by Increased Peripheral Thermal Sensitivity in Mice

“…5,7,19 It is generally recognized that women diagnosed as having painful bladder disorders frequently report a history of recurrent urinary tract infection; however, a consistent relationship between urinary infection and the onset of painful bladder disorders remains unproven. 20 The observations reported here suggest that significant changes in afferent sensitivity induced by bacterial cystitis associated with inflammation may contribute to perceived hypersensitivity to peripheral stimuli.…”

“…2,3 Patients with painful bladder disorders often experience other painful somatic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia with a frequency that exceeds the general population. [4][5][6] This suggests increased sensitivity to visceral and somatic stimuli in patients with painful bladder disorders. Visceral pain is often accompanied by increased sensitivity to peripheral and somatic stimuli, 7 but basic mechanisms that modulate perception of visceral pain, including that arising from the bladder, remain poorly understood.…”

Psychophysiology of visceral pain in IBS and health

“…Chun et al [73] compared IBS patients to fibromylgia patients, patients with sphincter of Oddi Type III dysfunction, and healthy controls with respect to rectal distension-induced pain thresholds and found rectal hypersensitivity specific to IBS. Caldarella et al [74] were also able to show visceral hypersensitivity to be specific for IBS, although their results for somatic pain-inducing stimuli were more complex. In conclusion, gastrointestinal hypersensitivity seems to be a phenomenon that is specific for IBS.…”