title: Mechanisms underlying visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: Visceral hypersensitivity is currently considered a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain perception in large subgroups of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In IBS, visceral hypersensitivity has been described in 20%-90% of patients. The contribution of the central nervous system and psychological factors to visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS may be significant, although still debated. Peripheral factors have gained increasing attention following the recognition that infectious enteritis may trigger the development of persistent IBS symptoms, and the identification of mucosal immune, neural, endocrine, microbiological, and intestinal permeability abnormalities. Growing evidence suggests that these factors play an important role in pain transmission from the periphery to the brain via sensory nerve pathways in large subsets of patients with IBS. In this review, we will report on recent data on mechanisms involved in visceral hypersensitivity in IBS, with particular attention paid to peripheral mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Center for Applied Biomedical Research, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. giovanni.barbara@unibo.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbara
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cremon
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Giorgio
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dothel
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zecchi
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellacosa
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stanghellini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corinaldesi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*