Congenital insensitivity to pain
| Congenital insensitivity to pain | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Congenital analgesia |
| A patient and doctor discuss congenital insensitivity to pain | |
| Specialty | Neurology |
| Symptoms | Inability to perceive pain, self-inflicted damage to the oral cavity or fingertips, repeated bone fractures, persistent ear infections, corneal damage and infection, and sometimes inability to sweat |
| Types | HSANI, HSANII, HSANIII (familial dysautonomia), HSANIV (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis), and HSANV |
| Causes | Various genetic mutations |
| Treatment | Injury management and prevention |
Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), also known as congenital analgesia, is an inability for a person to feel physical pain due to various rare genetic conditions. CIP is caused by genetic mutations that affect the development or function of nociceptors, the sensory neurons in the brain responsible for recognizing tissue damage. Common symptoms include damage to the oral cavity, repeated bone fractures, and sometimes the inability to sweat. Some forms of CIP are also correlated with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathies (HSAN) fall under the umbrella of CIP. Methods of treatment are still being explored. The epidemiology of CIP is unclear, given the relatively low number of reported cases.