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Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?

PURPOSE: Prior findings suggest that women and elderly persons are more sensitive to pressure than men and younger persons; however, the magnitudes of these differences are substantially inconsistent. We answered the question whether the higher sensitivity of women and elderly persons is quantitativ...

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Autores principales: Cámara, Rafael J A, Gharbo, Raschid K, Egloff, Niklaus
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7382585/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32765059
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S248664
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author Cámara, Rafael J A
Gharbo, Raschid K
Egloff, Niklaus
author_facet Cámara, Rafael J A
Gharbo, Raschid K
Egloff, Niklaus
author_sort Cámara, Rafael J A
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: Prior findings suggest that women and elderly persons are more sensitive to pressure than men and younger persons; however, the magnitudes of these differences are substantially inconsistent. We answered the question whether the higher sensitivity of women and elderly persons is quantitatively meaningful. Specifically, we investigated if it is large enough to hamper the diagnosis, classification and follow-up of pain conditions by clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From each age stratum (18–20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, and >80 years), 40 pain-free women and 40 pain-free men were recruited. They rated the intensity of pressure of ten Newtons over ten seconds on an analogue zero to ten rating scale. The pressure was applied on their middle fingers and ear lobes with a threshold algometer. Centile curves visualized the sex- and age-dependent fluctuation of pressure sensitivity. RESULTS: Over the entire age range from 20 to 80 years, the median curves fluctuated within the interval of less than two points. The distance between the median curves of men and women was also less than two points. On the average, the median difference was half a point on the finger (p = 0.249) and the ear lobe (p = 0.083). CONCLUSION: Less than two points is below the minimal clinically important difference for a zero to ten analogue pain rating scale; differences smaller than one point are even below the resolution of the scale. Sex differences and age fluctuations of pressure sensitivity are negligible.
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spelling pubmed-73825852020-08-05 Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful? Cámara, Rafael J A Gharbo, Raschid K Egloff, Niklaus J Pain Res Original Research PURPOSE: Prior findings suggest that women and elderly persons are more sensitive to pressure than men and younger persons; however, the magnitudes of these differences are substantially inconsistent. We answered the question whether the higher sensitivity of women and elderly persons is quantitatively meaningful. Specifically, we investigated if it is large enough to hamper the diagnosis, classification and follow-up of pain conditions by clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From each age stratum (18–20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, and >80 years), 40 pain-free women and 40 pain-free men were recruited. They rated the intensity of pressure of ten Newtons over ten seconds on an analogue zero to ten rating scale. The pressure was applied on their middle fingers and ear lobes with a threshold algometer. Centile curves visualized the sex- and age-dependent fluctuation of pressure sensitivity. RESULTS: Over the entire age range from 20 to 80 years, the median curves fluctuated within the interval of less than two points. The distance between the median curves of men and women was also less than two points. On the average, the median difference was half a point on the finger (p = 0.249) and the ear lobe (p = 0.083). CONCLUSION: Less than two points is below the minimal clinically important difference for a zero to ten analogue pain rating scale; differences smaller than one point are even below the resolution of the scale. Sex differences and age fluctuations of pressure sensitivity are negligible. Dove 2020-07-21 /pmc/articles/PMC7382585/ /pubmed/32765059 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S248664 Text en © 2020 Cámara et al. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
spellingShingle Original Research
Cámara, Rafael J A
Gharbo, Raschid K
Egloff, Niklaus
Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title_full Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title_fullStr Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title_full_unstemmed Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title_short Age and Gender as Factors of Pressure Sensitivity of Pain-Free Persons: Are They Meaningful?
title_sort age and gender as factors of pressure sensitivity of pain-free persons: are they meaningful?
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7382585/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32765059
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S248664
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