Pain
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal illnesses and is characterized by altered visceral perception. Previous studies in IBS have failed to demonstrate altered somatic or cutaneous perception. The aims of the study were to determine whether IBS patients have visceral hypersensitivity and cutaneous heat-induced hyperalgesia restricted to lumbosacral dermatomes, consistent with a localized segmental mechanism. ⋯ However, they did not differ from controls on several personality trait measures. These results suggest that patients with IBS have visceral hyperalgesia and cutaneous hyperalgesia that is distributed over a considerable rostral-caudal distance yet optimally expressed in lumbosacral dermatomes. This distribution is consistent with patterns of spinal hyperexcitability observed in experimentally induced persistent pain conditions.