Objectification of Pain in Patients with Endometriosis. (Literature review and own data)

The article focuses on the of methods for objectifying pain syndrome in patients with endometriosis. Endometriosis-related pain, including dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain, is a clinically significant symptom of the disease that leads patients to seek medical help and significantly reduces their quality of life. The article discusses the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain related to inflammation, abnormal innervation of endometrial foci, peripheral, central and cross-sensitization. Special attention is paid to modern methods for diagnosing pain caused by endometriosis, including the use of modified pain scales (PainDetect), analysis of biomarkers (neurotransmitters, sex hormones, immune markers and metabolites) in patient’ biosamples and assessment of histological features of the endometriotic lesions. Modern neuroimaging techniques such as MRI tractography, neurography and resting-state functional MRI are also described. These methods allow for evaluation of the presence of neuropathic components in pain syndromes associated with endometriosis. The article also describes methods for objectifying pain in animal models of endometriosis and highlights the potential of non-invasive tests for assessing chronic pain in humans. It emphasizes the need for developing and actively applying pain objectification techniques in patients with endometriosis, as a key aspect of early diagnosis and timely treatment to prevent disease progression.