CAPSAICIN AND THE CAUSE OF CAUSALGIA

From self-experimentation, I propose that the pain which occurs after application of capsaicin is causalgia and that this ''capsaicin causal gia'' is due to actual or functional depletion of neuropeptides such a s substance P. This idea could provide an objective definition of the causalgic syndromes and improve the means of diagnosis. The analogy wi th capsaicin causalgia could also be extended to the pain of epidermal necrolysis, solar and thermal burns, and leprosy. the concept could l ead to a better treatment of these causalgic syndromes by modulation o f neuropeptide concentration of responsivity, or by mitigation of the consequences of its depletion.