Instituut voor Neuropathische Pijn
English articles Gliopathic pain Proinflammatory cytokines in small fiber neuropathy
| Proinflammatory cytokines in small fiber neuropathy |
Proinflammatory cytokines in small fiber neuropathy can be found in the skin of patients suffering from Small fiber neuropathy (SFN). SNF is a sensory neuropathy with neuropathic pain in feet and hands, and normal findings in routine EMG/nerve conduction studies. These results make patients very uneasy, as they tend to believe their pain is between the ears. Now new findings show a crisp pathological disturbance in the skin of the affected area. SFN is as many other neuropathic pain states a chronic inflammation.
Small fiber neuropathy (SFN): inflammatory neuropathic pain stateTwenty-four patients with SFN and matched controls in a case-control study were assessed clinically, as well as using neurophysiologic tests, and quantitative sensory testing. All patients also underwent skin punch biopsy in a clinically affected and a nonaffected area. Blood samples were collected for cytokine detection. gene expression analysis. Patients suffering from SFN had a 2-fold higher gene expression for interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-β1 in peripheral blood. The skin biopsies showed increased IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression when compared to healthy controls. Inflammatory cells were present in most SFN samples. The conclusions of the authors was: Elevated local proinflammatory cytokines may be involved in the pathophysiology of pain in length-dependent small fiber neuropathy. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic role of locally applied cytokine inhibitors. [1] June 2010, Jan M. Keppel Hesselink Referenties[1]: Uçeyler N, Kafke W, Riediger N, He L, Necula G, Toyka KV, Sommer C. | Elevated proinflammatory cytokine expression in affected skin in small fiber neuropathy. | Neurology. | 2010 Jun 1;74(22):1806-13. |