Exploring Chronic Pain, Immune Dysfunction and Lifestyle: A Focus on T Cell Exhaustion and Senescence

TL;DR

This review explores how immune dysfunction, lifestyle factors, and chronic pain are interconnected, focusing on T cell exhaustion and senescence.

Contribution

The paper introduces the underexplored link between T cell exhaustion/senescence and chronic pain, emphasizing lifestyle influences.

Findings

Immune dysfunction, particularly T cell exhaustion and senescence, may contribute to chronic pain.

Lifestyle factors like sleep, stress, and diet modulate both pain and immune function.

Current knowledge gaps highlight the need for further research on immune mechanisms in chronic pain.

Abstract

Chronic pain conditions are debilitating and have an enormous impact on quality of life, yet underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood, hindering the development of diagnostic tools and effective treatments. Emerging evidence suggests a role for immune dysfunction in chronic pain. Among the various forms of immune dysfunction, T cell exhaustion and senescence, well-characterized in cancer and chronic infections, remain largely unexplored in chronic pain research. At the same time, lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, physical activity, and diet are increasingly recognized as modulators of both pain and immune function. This review explores the potential interplay between these behavioural factors, immune exhaustion/senescence, and chronic pain. Critical gaps in current knowledge are identified, and future directions are outlined to clarify immune dysfunction and the influence of lifestyle factors in chronic pain conditions.

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