Endometriosis and pain

Abstract

In some patients endometriosis causes persistent or chronic pain and is a specialistic algologic problem. Considering various possible pathogenic pain mechanisms, when pain therapy of endometriosis cannot be etiologic, far from be only symptomatic, it is based on a pathogenetic criterion. We must consider that in endometriosis can be a pain due to activation of nociceptors sensibilized by endometriosic tissues (tissutal nociceptive pain) unresponding to NSAIDs and opioids or a pain due to the nerve damage by nerve compression from endometriosic cistis or by involvement of nerve structures in scar tissue (neuropathic pain) unresponding to antinociceptive therapy but responding, at least partially, to some neuropathic specific pain drugs and to electrostimulation of the nerve system.

Keywords

• Nociceptive pain
• neuropathic pain
• endometriosis
• pathogenetic pain diagnosis