Inter-individual Variation in Pain Sensitivity among Healthy Young Indian Adults- a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Pain perception research
• Human physiology
• Clinical pain assessment

Background:

• Individual variability in pain perception presents clinical challenges.
• Limited data exists on pain sensitivity parameters in the Indian population.
• Understanding pain perception is crucial for effective pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize pain sensitivity (threshold, tolerance, unpleasantness) in healthy Indian adults.
• To investigate the influence of gender on pain perception.
• To examine the relationship between pain sensitivity, vascular reactivity, and parental hypertension history.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the cold pressor test with cold water immersion (30-50°C) on 150 healthy adults (75 males, 75 females).
• Measured pain threshold, pain tolerance, pain unpleasantness, and vascular reactivity (changes in blood pressure and pulse rate).
• Collected data on parental history of hypertension.

Main Results:

• Established normative values for pain threshold, tolerance, and unpleasantness in the study cohort.
• Identified significant gender differences: males demonstrated higher pain threshold and tolerance than females.
• Observed correlations between pain sensitivity parameters and vascular reactivity; higher pain unpleasantness was noted in individuals with a parental history of hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Pain sensitivity exhibits considerable inter-individual variation even within a narrow demographic range.
• Gender significantly influences pain threshold and tolerance.
• Vascular responses to cold stimuli and subjective pain perception are influenced by genetic predisposition (parental hypertension).