Visceral sensation and colitis: inflammation and hypersensitivity do not always go hand in hand.

Visceral sensitivity and inflammation are discussed in relation to novel observations in the current issue of the Journal by Larsson and her colleagues. This paper shows that neither acute nor chronic intestinal inflammation initiated by dextran sodium sulfate is associated with an increase in visceral sensitivity to balloon distension in mice. These findings are discussed in the context of recent work highlighting the role of mast cells, the induction of endogenous antinociceptive pathways and the role of altered bacterial flora in visceral hypersensitivity.