Congenital Insensitivity To Pain

Ever wonder why there are some cases in medical science where people can’t feel pain? It’s due to a hereditary disorder called congenital analgesia, sometimes known as CIPA, or, congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. CIPA and congenital analgesia cause the person affected to not feel any pain due to genetics and mutated genes. Congenital is an incredibly complicated and rare genetic disorder. Classified as an autosomal recessive disease (Baum and O’Flaherty 83), both the mother and the father must carry the genes that causes this disorder for the child to have this mutation. Congenital analgesia is chronic from birth. People who have this disorder have the normal perception of touch, but “if they were to accidentally hit themselves on the thumb with a hammer, they would feel the pressure of the blow, but no pain from it” (Linden). People with CIPA have a reduced life …show more content…
It is thought that the gene called SCN9A can cause congenital insensitivity to pain (“Congenital Insensitivity to Pain”). “At least 13 mutations in the SCN9A gene have been found to cause congenital insensitivity to pain,” which creates a premature ‘stop signal’ when it comes to making the NaV1.7 sodium channels (“SCN9A”). NaV1.7 sodium channels are an integral part of the pain process. They can be found in nerve cells whose jobs are to transmit signals of pain. People with congenital analgesia and congenital insensitivity to pain (with anhidrosis) can also have the inability to smell, which could be caused by the lack of good NaV1.7 channels, which are also found in nasal cavity nerve cells (“Congenital Insensitivity to Pain”). SCN9A mutations are a likely cause of several other pain disorders like erythromelalgia (episodes of pain and swelling in random parts of the body), small fiber neuropathy (severe pain episodes), and paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (severe pain episodes with flushing and occasional seizures)