RESEARCH - Chronic arthritis pain does not seem to alter neuroendocrine function

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Chronic Arthritis Pain Does Not Seem to Alter Neuroendocrine Function

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 28 - In contrast to the findings of some prior

studies, neuroendocrine function is not appreciably altered in otherwise

healthy men with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain, a new study indicates.

Prior reports of hormonal abnormalities in men with chronic pain, the

researchers suggest, may have resulted from the confounding effects of

comorbid illness such as depression or inflammatory disease or coexistent

medication use.

As reported in the December Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and

Metabolism, Dr. Suzan Khoromi and colleagues at the National Institutes of

Health in Bethesda, land tested the hypothesis that chronic pain

activates adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) and cortisol and suppresses luteinizing

hormone (LH) and testosterone.

Subjects included 16 opioid-nave men with chronic OA pain and 12 healthy,

opioids- and pain-free men of similar age and weight.

The researchers failed to detect any significant between-group differences

in 12-hour overnight mean or integrated concentrations of ACTH, cortisol, LH

or testosterone.

" We detected significantly higher morning concentrations of LH without

concomitant differences in total and free testosterone in men with OA,

compared with healthy men, " the team notes. This suggests " the presence of

incipient, or compensated, primary hypogonadism in our OA patients. "

" Further studies appear warranted to investigate 24-hour secretory patterns

of LH and gonadal steroids in men and women with diverse etiologies of

chronic pain, " they conclude.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006;91:4313-4318

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/550006

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