Heightened Temporal Summation of Pain in Patients with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and History of Trauma

Overview

Journal Ann Behav Med

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Social Sciences

Date 2015 May 14

PMID 25967582

Citations 28

Authors

Amanda L Sherman

Matthew C Morris

Stephen Bruehl

Travis D Westbrook

Lynn S Walker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Individuals with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) report experiencing trauma more often than healthy controls, but little is known regarding psychophysical correlates.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that adolescents and young adults with FGIDs since childhood and a trauma history (n = 38) would exhibit heightened temporal summation to thermal pain stimuli, an index of central sensitization, and greater clinical symptoms compared to patients with FGIDs and no trauma history (n = 95) and healthy controls (n = 135).

Methods: Participants completed self-report measures, an experimental pain protocol, and psychiatric diagnostic interview as part of a larger longitudinal study.

Results: FGID + Trauma patients exhibited greater temporal summation than FGID + No Trauma patients and healthy controls. Additionally, FGID + Trauma patients exhibited greater gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal symptom severity, number of chronic pain sites, and disability.

Conclusions: Assessing for trauma history in patients with FGIDs could identify a subset at risk for greater central sensitization and pain-related symptoms.

Citing Articles

Distress is positively associated with induced secondary hyperalgesia in people with suppressed HIV.

Mqadi L, Bedwell G, Msolo N, Arendse G, Lesosky M, Kamerman P medRxiv. 2025; .

PMID: 39974111 PMC: 11838949. DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.27.25321015.

Impact of adverse childhood experiences on sensory thresholds in adults living with multimorbidity and chronic pain (the ACE-MAP study): protocol for an observational feasibility study.

Senaratne D, Smith B, Hales T, Marryat L, Colvin L BMJ Open. 2025; 15(1):e091053.

PMID: 39773807 PMC: 11749611. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091053.

Prevalence and predictors of functional gastrointestinal disorder among the undergraduate students of Bangladesh.

Roy S, Eva F, Dev D, Roy S, Tipu S, Chowdhury S PLoS One. 2024; 19(12):e0315687.

PMID: 39693324 PMC: 11654983. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315687.

Parabrachial Calca neurons drive nociplasticity.

Condon L, Yu Y, Park S, Cao F, Pauli J, Nelson T Cell Rep. 2024; 43(4):114057.

PMID: 38583149 PMC: 11210282. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114057.

Adverse childhood experiences and burn pain: a review of biopsychosocial mechanisms that may influence healing.

Werthman E, Colloca L, Oswald L Pain Rep. 2024; 7(4):e1013.

PMID: 38304399 PMC: 10833651. DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001013.

References

Afari N, Ahumada S, Wright L, Mostoufi S, Golnari G, Reis V . Psychological trauma and functional somatic syndromes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychosom Med. 2013; 76(1):2-11. PMC: 3894419. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000010. View

Zhou Q, Verne G . New insights into visceral hypersensitivity--clinical implications in IBS. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011; 8(6):349-55. PMC: 3437337. DOI: 10.1038/nrgastro.2011.83. View

Dengler-Crish C, Bruehl S, Walker L . Increased wind-up to heat pain in women with a childhood history of functional abdominal pain. Pain. 2011; 152(4):802-808. PMC: 3065651. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.12.032. View

Beck J, Clapp J . A different kind of co-morbidity: Understanding posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Psychol Trauma. 2011; 3(2):101-108. PMC: 3134278. DOI: 10.1037/a0021263. View

Leserman J, Drossman D . Relationship of abuse history to functional gastrointestinal disorders and symptoms: some possible mediating mechanisms. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2007; 8(3):331-43. DOI: 10.1177/1524838007303240. View

Alexander R, Bradley L, Alarcon G, Triana-Alexander M, Aaron L, Alberts K . Sexual and physical abuse in women with fibromyalgia: association with outpatient health care utilization and pain medication usage. Arthritis Care Res. 1998; 11(2):102-15. DOI: 10.1002/art.1790110206. View

Scarinci I, Bradley L, Richter J . Altered pain perception and psychosocial features among women with gastrointestinal disorders and history of abuse: a preliminary model. Am J Med. 1994; 97(2):108-18. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9343(94)90020-5. View

Leserman J, Li Z, Drossman D, Toomey T, Nachman G, Glogau L . Impact of sexual and physical abuse dimensions on health status: development of an abuse severity measure. Psychosom Med. 1997; 59(2):152-60. DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199703000-00007. View

Walker L, Beck J, Garber J, Lambert W . Children's Somatization Inventory: psychometric properties of the revised form (CSI-24). J Pediatr Psychol. 2008; 34(4):430-40. PMC: 2722132. DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsn093. View

10.

Schouenborg J . Functional and topographical properties of field potentials evoked in rat dorsal horn by cutaneous C-fibre stimulation. J Physiol. 1984; 356:169-92. PMC: 1193158. DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015459. View

11.

Chung O, Bruehl S, Diedrich L, Diedrich A . The impact of blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity on wind-up. Anesth Analg. 2008; 107(3):1018-25. DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e31817f8dfe. View

12.

Bruehl S, France C, France J, Harju A, alAbsi M . How accurate are parental chronic pain histories provided by offspring?. Pain. 2005; 115(3):390-397. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.03.017. View

13.

Herrero J, Laird J, Lopez-Garcia J . Wind-up of spinal cord neurones and pain sensation: much ado about something?. Prog Neurobiol. 2000; 61(2):169-203. DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0082(99)00051-9. View

14.

Arendt-Nielsen L, Yarnitsky D . Experimental and clinical applications of quantitative sensory testing applied to skin, muscles and viscera. J Pain. 2009; 10(6):556-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2009.02.002. View

15.

Horst S, Shelby G, Anderson J, Acra S, Polk D, Saville B . Predicting persistence of functional abdominal pain from childhood into young adulthood. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014; 12(12):2026-32. PMC: 4195814. DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.034. View

16.

Fillingim R, Maixner W, Sigurdsson A, Kincaid S . Sexual and physical abuse history in subjects with temporomandibular disorders: relationship to clinical variables, pain sensitivity, and psychologic factors. J Orofac Pain. 1997; 11(1):48-57. View

17.

Beck J, Coffey S, Foy D, Keane T, Blanchard E . Group cognitive behavior therapy for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: an initial randomized pilot study. Behav Ther. 2009; 40(1):82-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2008.01.003. View

18.

Drossman D, Leserman J, Nachman G, Li Z, Gluck H, Toomey T . Sexual and physical abuse in women with functional or organic gastrointestinal disorders. Ann Intern Med. 1990; 113(11):828-33. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-113-11-828. View

19.

Ehlers A, Clark D . A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behav Res Ther. 2000; 38(4):319-45. DOI: 10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00123-0. View

20.

Leserman J, Drossman D, Li Z . The reliability and validity of a sexual and physical abuse history questionnaire in female patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Behav Med. 1995; 21(3):141-50. DOI: 10.1080/08964289.1995.9933752. View