Constant Pain Can Lead to Diabetes, High Cholesterol and Heart Problems

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By Dr. Forest Tennant, PNN Columnist

Intractable Pain Syndrome (IPS) is constant pain with cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal complications. Constant pain is a severe stressor that causes the adrenal hormones cortisol and adrenalin to rise in the blood as the body attempts to reduce stress.

These hormonal elevations can lead to serious metabolic consequences that need to be well known to persons who have IPS, as well as their family and medical practitioners. High levels of adrenalin cause blood pressure and the pulse rate to rise. When cortisol is elevated, it causes the hormone insulin and blood sugar (glucose) to rise in the blood.

If blood sugar remains too high for too long, a person can develop diabetes or pre-diabetes, which is often called “insulin resistance.” Most persons believe that diabetes is a metabolic disease and is unrelated to hormones. The fact is that insulin, cortisol and adrenaline are hormones.

In addition to diabetes, a person with constant pain is also at high risk of developing or experiencing any or all of the following: 

  • Heart Attack

  • Heart Pain (Angina)

  • Stroke

  • Dementia

  • Arteriosclerosis

Some persons with IPS have died suddenly and unexpectedly, sometimes while asleep. Often these cases are falsely labelled as a drug overdose.

There are three reasons for sudden, unexpected death in persons with IPS who are undertreated and have cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal complications.

  • Cardiac Arrythmia

  • Adrenal Failure          

  • Hypoglycemia (Excess Insulin)

Every person with IPS needs to be evaluated for diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, tachycardia and excess cholesterol. Steps must be taken to eliminate or reduce any or all of these IPS complications. Consult your medical practitioner at your earliest opportunity for an evaluation of these complications. 

Forest Tennant, MD, DrPH, is retired from clinical practice but continues his research on intractable pain and arachnoiditis. This column is adapted from newsletters recently issued by the IPS Research and Education Project of the Tennant Foundation. Readers interested in subscribing to the newsletter can sign up by clicking here. The Tennant Foundation gives financial support to Pain News Network and sponsors PNN’s Patient Resources section.