Eleonora Vecchio, Raffaella Lombardi, Matilde Paolini, Giuseppe Libro, Marianna Delussi, Katia Ricci, Silvia G Quitadamo, Eleonora Gentile, Francesco Girolamo, Florenzo Iannone, Giuseppe Lauria, Marina de Tommaso
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome characterized by altered pain processing at central and peripheral level, whose pathophysiologic mechanisms remain obscure. We aimed at exploring the structural changes of peripheral nociceptor measured by skin biopsy, the functional changes of central nociceptive pathway assessed by laser-evoked potentials (LEP), and their correlation with clinical features and comorbidities. METHODS: In all, 81 patients diagnosed with FM underwent skin biopsies with quantification of intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) at the thigh and distal leg, and LEP recording by stimulating hand, thigh and foot...
September 2020: European Journal of Pain: EJP