LAUSR

Objectives: Both high blood pressure and impaired glucose tolerance been reported in clinical and experimental research to be accompanied by increased sensitivity to pain. However, the role played by the endogenous analgesic system and immunological responses in Nigerian subjects has not been thoroughly studied. The current study was designed to investigate the effect of high blood pressure on pain perception in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and to possibly know if the variability in pain perception is dependent on circulating level of &bgr;-Endorphin and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Methods: One hundred volunteers comprising 50 control and 50 patients with impaired glucose tolerance were randomly recruited, informed what they should expect during the study and informed consent was obtained. Questionnaires were administered to gather volunteers’ bio data and socio-demographic background. Cold, ischemia and cold + ischemia- induced pain was administered, and the pain threshold and tolerance were estimated. Results: Our results show that high blood pressure with impaired glucose tolerance group has significantly lower threshold/tolerance in cold-induced pain model and in ischemia-induced pain model with significant difference in circulating level of beta endorphin but increased circulating level of IL-10. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that high blood pressure with impaired glucose tolerance leads to increase in pain perception and this is independent of circulating level of &bgr;-Endorphin.