Although acute vaso-occlusive pain crises are common in sickle cell disease (SCD), some patients also experience chronic daily pain. This study investigated cortical areas involved in pain processing in low-pain and high-pain groups of patients at baseline of a trial with a pain burden outcome. High-pain patients had significantly thinner cortex in the right anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral precuneus and left primary motor cortex. This is the first study showing structural brain abnormalities in patients with SCD and a high pain burden; these data may provide potential biomarkers for longitudinal trials of treatment for chronic pain.
This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.