• K F Sjölund, M Belfrage, R Karlsten, M Segerdahl, S Arnér, T Gordh, and A Solevi.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, S-171 76, Sweden.
• Eur J Pain. 2001 Jan 1;5(2):199-207.

AbstractSystemic adenosine has been shown in earlier case reports and a small placebo-controlled study to reduce pathological sensory dysfunction such as tactile allodynia in neuropathic pain. To evaluate this further, the effects of systemic adenosine infusion (50 microg/kg/min for 60 min) on tactile sensory dysfunction and pain was evaluated in 26 patients suffering peripheral neuropathic pain characterized by dynamic tactile allodynia. A randomized, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled technique was used in this multi-centre study. Psychophysical methods were used to evaluate sensory dysfunction and spontaneous pain. The area of dynamic tactile allodynia was significantly reduced by adenosine compared with placebo (p=0.043), but spontaneous pain and tactile pain threshold were not significantly improved compared with the effects of placebo treatment. As a secondary outcome, a higher incidence of positive subjective effects on the clinical pain condition, in a few cases with long duration (several months), following adenosine treatment was found when the global effect of respective treatment was assessed (p=0.028). The results demonstrate involvement of adenosine receptor-sensitive pain mechanisms in some aspects of the sensory dysfunction often found in neuropathic pain.

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