Congenital analgesia is a rare disease that causes the individual to not feel any kind of pain. This disease can also be called congenital insensitivity to pain and causes its sufferers to not perceive temperature differences and can burn easily, and although they are sensitive to touch, they are unable to feel physical pain being prone to serious injury, even crushing limbs.
Pain is a signal emitted by the body that serves for protection. It indicates signs of danger when the joints are used in an extreme way, and they also help to identify diseases such as ear infection, gastritis or other more serious diseases such as Infarction. As the person does not feel pain, the disease progresses and worsens, being discovered at an advanced stage.
The causes of congenital analgesia have not yet been fully elucidated, but it is known that motor and sensory neurons do not normally develop in these individuals. This is a genetic disease and can affect individuals in the same family.
Signs of congenital analgesia
The main sign of congenital analgesia is that the individual does not feel any physical pain from birth and throughout life.
Due to this fact, the baby can self mutilate himself by scratching himself and cutting himself constantly. A scientific article reported the case of a boy tearing his own teeth and biting his hands to the point of pulling the tips of his fingers at 9 months of age.
It is common to have several cases of fever a year due to infections that are not being diagnosed and multiple lesions, including fractures, dislocations and bone deformities. There is usually associated irritability and hyperactivity.
In some types of congenital analgesia there is alteration in sweating, tearing and mental retardation.
How the Diagnosis is done
The diagnosis of congenital analgesia is made based on the clinical observation of the baby or the child, since it is usually discovered in childhood. Skin and peripheral nerve biopsy and sympathetic stimulation and DNA analysis can be used to confirm the disease. X-rays, CT scans and MRIs should be performed throughout the body to assess possible lesions and initiate the necessary treatments as soon as possible.
Does congenital analgesia have a cure?
The treatment for congenital analgesia is not specific because this disease has no cure. Therefore, immobilizations and surgeries may be necessary to treat orthopedic injuries and prevent limb loss.
The individual should be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team composed of a doctor, nurse, dentist and psychologist among others in order to prevent new injuries and improve their quality of life. Medical consultations and examinations are recommended and should be performed at least once a year to investigate whether there are diseases that need to be treated.
