Those with CIPA can face a condition called lichenification in palms where the skin becomes thick, hard and leathery. Sometimes the toenails and fingernails will also appear broken, brittle and oddly shaped. The hair will also be affected by a condition called hypertrichosis or lack of hair on the scalp.
Image Source: www.thepinsta.com
Those with CIPA will periodically face learning disabilities and have difficulty in what is called conceptual thinking, the ability to understand a given situation or identify patterns and connections. ADHD is also another behavioral problem that can affect those with CIPA like Ashlyn who would run wildly throughout the house with faint disregard for her body when she was 13. Fortunately, she is now 17 and learning to deal with her condition.
It isn’t uncommon for children with CIPA to experience bouts of irritability and uncontrollable rage.
Image Source: www.independent.co.uk
There is no cure for people who feel no physical pain. However, current research on the subject of CIP and CIPA are underway where treatments are being considered to help those dealing with the condition. The only thing doctors can advise is effective management of the condition and to avoid the more severe problems related to it.
Encouraging research found that a woman with CIP experienced pain for the first time when she was administered an opioid. If you are wondering what exactly the mutation is, it is a genetic mutation of the SCN9A gene that provides the body instructions for making a part of sodium channels found in nerve cells that transmit pain signals.
Image Source: www.fogonazos.es