Primary @entity8511 ( @entity8511 ) is severe, disabling and chronic @entity158 for which no local or systemic cause can be found and clinical examination is normal. It mostly affects elderly citizens, especially postmenopausal @entity1 with prevalence up to 12-18%. In addition to spontaneous @entity158 , @entity1 may complain of taste alterations. Recent neurophysiologic, psychophysical, neuropathological, and functional imaging studies have elucidated that several neuropathic mechanisms, mostly subclinical, act at different levels of the neuraxis and contribute to the pathophysiology of primary @entity8511 . Demonstration of loss of small diameter nerve fibres in the tongue epithelium explains @entity1183 and increase in taste detection thresholds found in quantitative sensory testing. As in @entity9 , decreased brain activation to heat stimuli has been demonstrated with fMRI in @entity8511 @entity1 . However, it seems that the clinical diagnosis of primary @entity8511 encompasses at least three distinct, subclinical @entity9 states that may overlap in individual @entity1 . The first subgroup (50-65%) is characterized by peripheral small diameter fibre @entity16 . The second subgroup (20-25%) consists of @entity1 with subclinical lingual, mandibular, or trigeminal system pathology that can be dissected with careful neurophysiologic examination but is clinically indistinguishable from the other two subgroups. The third subgroup (20-40%) fits the concept of central @entity158 that may be related to @entity1887 of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. The neurogenic factors acting in these subgroups differ, and will require different treatment strategies. In the future, with proper use of diagnostic tests, @entity8511 @entity1 may benefit from interventions specifically targeted at the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Pathophysiology of primary XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients'] @entity1183 :: ('MESH:D006987', 'Disease') :: ['thermal hypoesthesia'] @entity8511 :: ('MESH:D002054', 'Disease') :: ['BMS', 'burning mouth syndrome'] @entity16 :: ('MESH:D009422', 'Disease') :: ['neuropathy of intraoral mucosa'] @entity1887 :: ('MESH:D000309', 'Disease') :: ['hypofunction'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['pain', 'intraoral pain condition', 'burning pain'] @entity9 :: ('MESH:D009437', 'Disease') :: ['neuropathic pain']
@entity8511 :: (MESH:D002054,Disease) :: ['burning mouth syndrome']
