hyperalgesia
|hy-per-al-ge-si-a|
🇺🇸
/ˌhaɪpərælˈdʒiːzjə/
🇬🇧
/ˌhaɪpəˌrælˈdʒiːzjə/
excessive sensitivity to pain
Etymology
'hyperalgesia' is formed from the combining form 'hyper-' (from Greek, meaning 'over' or 'excessive') + 'algesia' (from Greek 'algos' meaning 'pain'), used in modern medical English to denote excessive pain sensitivity.
'hyperalgesia' was coined in modern medical/technical usage in the 20th century by combining Greek roots; it entered English medical vocabulary as a compound of Greek-origin elements rather than through a single inherited Old English source.
From the start it referred to an increased sensitivity to pain; over time the term has been maintained in clinical and research contexts and extended to specify causes such as opioid-induced hyperalgesia.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an abnormally increased sensitivity to painful stimuli; pain from a stimulus that normally provokes less pain.
The patient experienced hyperalgesia after the nerve injury.
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Noun 2
a clinical phenomenon in which exposure to certain drugs (notably opioids) or treatments paradoxically increases sensitivity to pain (opioid-induced hyperalgesia).
Clinicians should consider opioid-induced hyperalgesia when a patient's pain worsens despite increasing opioid doses.
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Last updated: 2025/08/17 08:49