HYPERESTHESIA: CHARACTERISTICS, SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The hyperesthesia is a perception disorder characterized by sensory distortion cause by increasing the intensity of sensations. It is a symptom that causes an exaggerated sensation of tactile and, in some cases, visual stimuli.

The person suffering from this alteration perceives the stimuli in an excessively intense way, a fact that usually causes feelings of discomfort on a continuous and recurring basis.

Hyperesthesia is the antithesis of hyposesthesia (decreased sensation) and anesthesia (complete absence of sensation), and is caused by anatomical and functional alterations in brain regions that modulate sensory impulses.

Characteristics of hyperesthesia

Hyperesthesia is a perceptual disorder caused by a lowering of the perceptual threshold. That is, the person perceives the stimuli more intensely since the dorsal root of the brain causes little or no sensory loss.

The increase in perception is limited to tactile stimuli, so that the rest of the perceptual processes (hearing, sight, smell and taste) are intact and are perceived in a normal way.

The experimentation of hyperesthesia is usually subject to the suffering of some pathology or the consumption of substances that affect the perceptual functioning of the subject.

In general, people with hyperesthesia experience unpleasant sensations through touch, as these are excessive in intensity, speed or number.

The most common is that tactile stimuli are perceived too intensely. For example, a person with hyperesthesia may experience discomfort when putting on pants due to excessive stimulation caused by the friction of their body with the garment.

However, in some cases hyperesthesia may not stand out so much for its intensity, but for its quantity. That is, the person with this alteration can experience intense tactile sensations in multiple regions of their body and through numerous stimuli.

Symptoms

The symptomatology of hyperesthesia is defined by an increase in tactile sensitivity. That is, through the experimentation of extremely high sensations.

In this way, the manifestations can appear in extreme or demanding situations, but also at any everyday and totally normal moment.

In general, people with hyperesthesia often experience permanent tingling, tingling, or dullness sensations.

Any type of tactile contact, no matter how slight, can cause feelings of discomfort in the subject. Thus, daily activities such as dressing, showering, shaving, sitting, applying cream or physically contacting other people, are often annoying.

On the other hand, hyperesthesia tends to be an especially important alteration in the transmission of pain. Individuals with this alteration are much more sensitive to tactile stimuli, which is why they also perceive painful stimuli with greater intensity.

This fact causes the resistance to pain to be much lower and any minimally harmful stimulus can generate high painful healings. For example, activities such as waxing, exfoliating the skin or receiving an intense massage are often difficult situations for a person with hyperesthesia.

Dentin hyperesthesia

Dentin hyperesthesia is a specific type of hyperesthesia characterized by experiencing an exaggerated response to thermal stimuli in the dental region. It usually manifests with a short, sharp pain that is generated in the dentin that is exposed.

In this case, tactile hypersensitivity is produced by the exposure of the root third of the tooth (caused by aggressive and abrasive brushing), loss of tooth enamel due to its erosion, dental overload, or suffering from periodontal disease..

Thus, a specific and different type of hyperesthesia results that has different causes as well. In general, there are two conditions for this alteration to manifest itself:

1-Present a dentin exposure characterized by erosion and abrasion processes.

2-Opening of the dentin tubules, generally caused by acids and abrasion.

Causes

Hyperesthesia is a rare symptom that usually appears due to suffering from psychopathologies or the use of psychoactive substances.

In this sense, it is currently argued that most cases of hyperesthesia are originated by a primary cause, which is why it is interpreted as a secondary symptom to psychopathological alterations.

Psychopathologies with hyperesthesia

Hyperesthesia is related to two main psychopathologies: mania and psychotic disorders.

With regard to mania, hyperesthesia is a rare symptom but one that may be experienced by some subjects with type I bipolar disorder.

In this case, it is argued that the brain excitability that causes the typical symptoms of mania would also be responsible for reducing sensory loss and causing hyperesthesia.

With regard to psychotic disorders, hyperesthesia is a slightly more prevalent symptom, although it is not one of the most typical manifestations of the disorder either.

Specifically, due to its higher prevalence, the disorder that generates the highest number of cases of hyperesthesia is schizophrenia. As in the previous case, although there are no conclusive studies, it is postulated that the alterations in brain function that originate the pathology cause the development of hyperesthesia.

Toxic that can cause hyperesthesia

The consumption of psychoactive substances can also cause an increase in sensitivity in the person. In these cases, hyperesthesia usually runs parallel to intoxication, so it disappears when the psychoactive effects of the drug are over.

Stimulant drugs are those that have shown a greater relationship with hyperesthesia. In this way, substances such as cocaine or methamphetamine cause brain stimulation that can cause a decrease in sensory loss.

Likewise, sedative substances can also cause hyperesthesia. Specifically, heroin use has been positively related to experiencing this type of sensation.

References

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