New Test Measures Pain Levels Using Biomarkers in the Blood

As the country continues to grapple with the opioid epidemic, researchers have developed a new test that can measure pain biomarkers in the blood. The test is believed to provide doctors with an objective understanding of how much pain a patient could actually be experiencing. The test, developed by the Indiana University School of Medicine, uses biomarkers in the blood to not only gain an objective understanding of a patient’s pain levels but also provide a better long-term look at a patient’s medical future. First reported by ScienceDaily, the researchers published their data in Molecular Psychiatry after tracking the data of hundreds of patients.
As ScienceDaily reported, the biomarkers examined in the study reflected the severity of the pain a patient is feeling. These biomarkers can then be used by doctors to prescribe treatments for the pain levels, which could change the way opioid painkillers are prescribed to people. Alexander Niculescu, a psychiatry professor at the university and study leader, told ScienceDaily that developing a test that can provide an objective measure of pain levels in patients is important. Until the development of this test, Niculescu said doctors have had to “rely on patients self-reporting” or through a clinical impression the doctor has, in regards to the amount of pain a patient might be experiencing.