Symptoms Of Congenital Insensitivity To Pain

Unable To Feel Physical Pain

Individuals with CIPA just don't feel pain, even when it's in their best interest to do so. Someone suffering from CIPA can place their hand on a hot stove burner and not know they're getting burnt. CIPA patients frequently bite their tongue, cheeks, and lips unknowingly. Infants and small children with CIPA can seriously injure or even amputate their tongues and fingers by biting through them. Children can burn their mouth, throat, and esophagus by eating hot food or scratch their eyes by rubbing them too hard. These types of injuries are common in individuals unable to feel physical pain. A lack of the ability to feel pain is particularly dangerous in infants who are are too young to understand what actions can cause harm.

Get to know more CIPA symptoms by reading more now.

Decreased Or Lack Of Sweating

No one enjoys the sensation or the odors that accompany getting sweaty on a hot summer day, but your sweat serves a purpose. Sweat helps cool the body and regulate temperature so individuals don't overheat and damage the body. Individuals with CIPA, however, often experience anhydrosis, which is the medical term for decreased or lack of sweating. The inability to sweat increases an individual's odds of suffering heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Although rare, the inability to cool the body can result in a fever of 108 degrees Fahrenheit or more, at which point the brain and other internal organs can suffer permanent damage. Patients with CIPA must be mindful of both hot and cold temperature extremes.

Keep reading to get to know another symptom of congenital insensitivity to pain.