Inflammatory Processes in Adolescent Girls with Primary Dysmenorrhea

项目概要/摘要 原发性痛经（PD），或月经疼痛没有确定的病理，已被证明是共享 中枢神经系统在行为和神经指标方面的疼痛处理缺陷。这些 尽管表型改变可能会使一些女孩面临未来疼痛问题的风险， 由于月经痛女孩之间存在显著的个体差异，因此PD的“风险”组一直具有挑战性。 最近的证据表明，免疫系统的失调可能是PD的重要生物标志物 这可能会揭示谁有慢性疼痛的风险。最近的一项研究表明， 女性月经期间和月经后5天炎症细胞因子的基因表达 与没有PD的女性相比。这些数据支持了延长炎症反应的观点， 可能是与复发性疼痛向慢性疼痛转变相关的表型生物标志物。 这一行政补充的总体目标，“炎症过程中的青春期女孩， 原发性痛经”是评价促炎细胞因子与疼痛的关系 在212名患有不同程度月经痛的青春期女孩（年龄14-18岁）样本中， 没有使用任何外源性激素。正如最初提议的那样，母研究涉及所有参与者 接受疼痛敏感性的定量感觉测试（QST）和结构和功能神经成像 一年后，又一年后，又一年。此外，他们将每月进行一次随访， 月经疼痛和症状，以及非月经身体疼痛，共两年（从入组）。 这项研究的结果将有助于描述炎症在这种高度流行的疾病中的作用。

Project Summary/Abstract Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), or menstrual pain without an identified pathology, has been shown to share deficits in pain processing in the central nervous system in both behavioral and neural indices. These alterations may put some girls at risk for the development of future pain problems, although phenotyping the “at risk” group with PD has been challenging due to significant individual variation among girls with menstrual pain. Recent evidence suggests that dysregulation of the immune system may be an important biomarker for PD that could shed light on who is at risk for chronic pain. One recent study demonstrated up-regulated plasma genetic expression of inflammatory cytokines during menstruation and 5 days following menstruation in women with PD compared to women without PD. These data support the idea that prolonged inflammatory responses may be a phenotypic biomarker associated with the transition from recurrent to chronic pain. The overarching objective of this administrative supplement, “Inflammatory Processes in Adolescent Girls with Primary Dysmenorrhea,” is to evaluate the relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and pain responses in a sample of 212 adolescent girls (ages 14-18 years) with varying levels of menstrual pain who are not using any exogenous hormones. As originally proposed, the parent study involves all participants receiving both quantitative sensory testing (QST) of pain sensitivity and structural and functional neuroimaging upon enrollment (baseline) and again one year later. Additionally, they will be followed monthly to assess menstrual pain and symptoms, as well as non-menstrual body pain, for two years total (from enrollment). Findings from the study will help characterize the role of inflammation in this highly prevalent condition.