Central sensitization in alcohol use disorder: correlates of pain, addiction and health-related quality of life

Abstract

Background Central sensitization is an important mechanism underlying many chronic pain conditions. Chronic pain and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid. Despite great scientific interest in brain mechanisms linking chronic pain and AUD, progress has been impeded by difficulty assessing central sensitization in AUD. Objective The present study is the first to employ a validated surrogate measure to describe central sensitization in a clinical sample with AUD. Methods Participants with AUD (n = 99) were recruited from an academic addiction treatment center. A well-established surrogate measure of central sensitization, The American College of Rheumatology Fibromyalgia Survey Criteria (ACRFMS) was administered. Participants also responded to questions about quality of life (RAND-36), and AUD. Descriptive analyses and Spearman’s rho correlations were performed. Results Chronic pain and evidence of central sensitization were prevalent. Greater central sensitization was associated with worse health-related quality of life. Participants higher in central sensitization expressed greater endorsement of pain as a reason for AUD onset, maintenance, escalation, treatment delay, and relapse. Conclusion The present study bolsters prior assertions that AUD and chronic pain might compound one another via progressive sensitization of shared brain circuitry. These results may inform future mechanistic research and precision AUD treatment.