Hyperpathia is aclinical symptom of certainneurological disorders whereinnociceptive stimuli evoke exaggerated levels ofpain. This should not be confused withallodynia, where normally non-painful stimuli evoke pain.
Hyperpathia describes theneuropathic pain which thepain threshold on one hand is elevated and the other hand is central hyperexcited whenever there is a loss of fibres.[clarification needed] Hyperpathia is underlying the peripheral or central deafferentation when the afferent inputs are lost.[1] Hyperpathia only occurs on neuropathic pain patients with the loss of fibres.
The International Association of the Study of Pain's (IASP) definition of hyperpathia is that:A painful syndrome characterized by an abnormally painful reaction to a stimulus,especially a repetitive stimulus, as well as an increased threshold. The definition also complies with a note which is:It may occur withallodynia,hyperesthesia,hyperalgesia, ordysesthesia. Faulty identification and localization of the stimulus, delay, radiating sensation, and after-sensation may be present, and the pain is often explosive in character. The changes in this note are the specification ofallodynia and the inclusion ofhyperalgesia explicitly. Previouslyhyperalgesia was implied, sincehyperesthesia was mentioned in the previous note andhyperalgesia is a special case ofhyperesthesia.[2]
