hyperalgesia

Also hy·per·al·gi·a

[hahy-per-al-jee-zee-uh, -see-uh]

noun

1. an exaggerated sense of pain (hypalgesia ).

Other Word Forms

• hyperalgesic adjective
• hyperalgetic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperalgesia¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; hyper- + algesia

Example Sentences

Many researchers, therefore, have amelioration of hyperalgesia and allodynia foremost in their minds as they hunt for new analgesics.

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He worried she was susceptible to hyperalgesia, a condition in which prolonged opioid use can alter patients’ nerve receptors and actually cause more pain.

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Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to drug companies with approved opioid medications, requiring them to conduct post-marketing studies to better assess the risks of opioid side effects including opioid-induced hyperalgesia—an indication of the growing awareness surrounding this issue.

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By far, the most compelling evidence for opioid-induced hyperalgesia comes from animal studies, which have shed light on potential mechanisms.

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“Can you prevent opioid-induced hyperalgesia and the need for high doses by not using opioids continuously? Knowing this would help to avoid the destructive side effects seen with long-term opioid use and enable us to treat opioid patients better than we do now.”

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