Increased sensitivity to touch can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'critical'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose increased sensitivity to touch, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Guillain-Barre Syndrome | 95% | Confirm |
Neuritis/Neuropathy | 27% | Unlikely |
HIV/AIDS | 3% | Ruled out |
Do you suffer from tenderness to touch that is made worse by (for example) bedsheets, socks or tight-fitting shoes? This increased sensitivity to pain is known as Hyperalgesia.
Possible responses:
→ Don't know→ No → Yes, somewhat → Yes, I have extreme sensitivity to touch |
In some cases, pain may be so severe so as to limit walking. Patients with symptoms limited to the feet and ankles may observe similar symptoms in the fingertips; as the symptoms extend to the knees, they may also extend to the wrists. Only rarely do these symptoms extend above the knees.