Congenital insensitivity to pain
medical condition
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 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.
Classification
The term congenital analgesia, also known as CIP, was first coined in the 1970s or 1980s. CIP is an umbrella term that describes a collection of rare genetic disorders that affect nerve tissue in either the peripheral or autonomic nervous systems. When genetic disorders interfere with nociceptors, an individual develops CIP. A 2019 paper argues that "congenital insensitivity to pain" is a misnomer, and theorizes that patients might still feel other (non-nociceptive) forms of pain, even if they are unable to accurately classify such sensations. The paper suggests "congenital nociceptor deficiency" as a possible alternative term.
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