Background & Aims

Responses to clinical and experimental pain have been known to vary between individuals and the variations are believed to be due to multiple bio-psycho-social factors, including genetic influences. This study was therefore designed to investigate the influence of sex and ethnicity on perception and response to experimentally induced pain among a Nigerian adult population in Zaria, Northern Nigeria.

Methods

Participants included 161 adult volunteers of 20 years and above, drawn from the staff population of selected secondary schools under the Zaria zonal education authority. Experimental pain was induced using the cold pressor test and sub-maximal effort tourniquet model of ischaemic pain. About 5 ml of blood was collected for the determination of serum concentrations of glutamate and serotonin.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in cold pressor pain outcomes and ischaemic pain tolerance between sexes, but ischaemic pain thresholds were significantly higher in males than females. Ethnic differences in experimental pain outcomes showed that Fulanis have significantly higher ischaemic pain tolerance than those in the others group. Male subjects have significantly lower serum glutamate concentration than females.

Conclusions

This study showed that perception and response to experimentally induced pain among adult Nigerian subjects in Zaria varies by sex and ethnicity.

References

Alabas, O.A., Tashani, O.A., Tabasam, G. and Johnson, M.I. (2012). Gender role affects experimental pain responses: A systematic review with meta-analysis. European Journal of Pain, 16: 1211–1223.
Farhanchi, A., Karkhanei, B., Amani, N., Aghajanloo, M., Khanlarzadeh, E. and Emami, Z. (2018). Association of serum serotonin and pain in patients with chronic low back pain before and after spinal surgery. Pain Research and Treatment, 4901242, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4901242
Ogedengbe, J.O., Adelaiye, A.B., Mohammed, A., Ayo, J.O., Odili, A.N., Adeyemi, O.M., Akejue, S. and Peter, P. (2015). Evaluation of physiologic pain in relation to pain substances in healthy subjects. Pathophysiology, 22(4): 183-187.
Umar, A.H., Aliyu, K., Jimoh, O.I., Isyaku, A.A. and Saleh, N.M. (2017). Individual differences in perception and response to experimental pain in a young Nigerian population. Journal of African Association of Physiological Sciences, 5(2): 121-127.

Presenting Author

Abdullahi Hussein Umar

Poster Authors

Abdullahi Umar

PhD

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Ahmed-Sherif Isa

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Suleiman Ibrahim

Habib Medical School, Kampala Campus, Islamic University of Uganda

Lead Author

E-mail

Mustapha Muhammad

Gombe State University

Lead Author

E-mail

Yusuf Yusha’u

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Umar Muhammad

University Putra Malaysia

Lead Author

E-mail

Abdulmalik Muhammad

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Joseph Ayo

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Nuhu Danjuma

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Aliyu Mohammed

Ahmadu Bello University

Lead Author

E-mail

Topics

  • Gender/Sex Differences