QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THERMAL AND PAIN SENSITIVITY

Values for thermal specific and thermal pain thresholds were determine d in 150 healthy volunteers, 67 women and 83 men, aged from 10 to 73 y ears. Warm-cold difference limen, heat pain and cold pain thresholds w ere assessed at the face, thenar, medial surface of the upper- and for earm, lateral mammary, lateral umbilical, anterior thigh and lateral l eg regions, and lateral aspect of the dorsum of the foot. Temperature and pain sensitivity were assessed by the Marstock method. Temperature sensitivity was found obviously age-dependent. The correlation is lin ear. Women showed greater sensitivity for small temperature changes, r eflected as warm-cold difference limen, and for heat pain and cold pai n. Great variation of thermal and pain sensitivity of different body p arts was significant in all volunteers, irrespective of age and sex. I nterindividual variation was also considerable. Small intraindividual variability was found in measurements repeated in 4 consecutive days a nd after 4 weeks. Body length did not influence thermal and pain perce ption thresholds. There were no differences found in thermal and pain sensitivity between the left and the right side of the body.