ATYPICAL FACIAL PAIN IN FEMALES AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS

Abstract

Objective: In this study we have aimed to measure oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-OHdG (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine,) and anti-oxidant markers including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in females having chronic atypical facial pain. We also tried to find association between oxidative stress and chronic atypical facial pain in females.

Methodology: It was a cross-sectional/ analytical study conducted over a period of six months. We randomly selected female subjects presenting to the out patient’s department of the three tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). All female patients with chronic facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia were included in the study. Female subjects with acute facial pain or those having other major illnesses like diabetes mellitus, liver disease, kidney disease, thyroid problem or malignancies were excluded from the study. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for the biochemical parameters including MDA, 8-OHdG, TAC, GSH and SOD. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 21 and expressed as means ± SD. P value of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: We found significantly lower TAC (21.01±5.04 vs 33.82±7.83, p=<0.001), GSH (2.47 ± 0.045 vs 9.25 ± 3.29, p=<0.001), SOD (0.145 ± 0.095 vs 0.55 ± 0.015, p=<0.001) and higher oxidative damage markers MDA (6.65 ± 0.065 vs 2.20 ± 0.956, p=<0.001 ) and 8- OHdG (3.5±1.4 vs 1.2±0.9, p=<0.001)

Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, atypical facial pain in females have significant association with oxidative stress. Lowering oxidative stress in these patients may help to reduce the intensity and frequency of pain in these patients.