National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 7


Other Names:
Congenital insensitivity to pain with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; HSAN with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; HSAN7; Congenital insensitivity to pain with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; HSAN with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; HSAN7; Neuropathy, hereditary sensory and autonomic, type VII; Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; CIP with hyperhidrosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction; Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type VII See More
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Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 7 (HSAN7) is a genetic condition that causes the inability to feel pain, excessive sweating, and gastrointestinal issues.[1][2][3] Gastrointestinal issues can cause failure to thrive, painful constipation, and diarrhea.[1][3] The constipation is due to intestinal dysmotility, where the the muscles and nerves of the digestive system do not move food through the digestive tract like it should.

Signs and symptoms of HSAN7 usually appear at birth or during infancy.[1][2] The inability to feel pain often leads to repeated, severe injuries, including bone fractures and joint dislocations.[1][2][3] People with HSAN7 may also heal slowly putting them at risk for further complications, such as infection. Excessive sweating may cause itching.[3] Other features may include partial insensitivity to cold and hot temperatures, mild muscle weakness, and motor skill delays.[1][2] HSAN7 is not known to affect learning or intelligence. Treatment of HSAN7 aims to prevent injury and treat gastrointestinal and orthopedic problems.

HSAN7 is caused by a mutation in the SCN11A gene. People with HSAN7 have a 1 in 2 or 50% chance of passing the condition on to each of their children. This pattern of inheritance is called "autosomal dominant."[1][2][3]
Last updated: 12/15/2016

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormal autonomic nervous system physiology 0012332
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Constipation 0002019
Diarrhea
Watery stool
0002014
Hyperhidrosis
Excessive sweating
Increased sweating
Profuse sweating
Sweating
Sweating profusely
Sweating, increased
[ more ] 		0000975
Motor delay 0001270
Muscle weakness
Muscular weakness
0001324
Pain insensitivity 0007021
Pruritus
Itching
Itchy skin
Skin itching
[ more ] 		0000989
Self-injurious behavior
Self-injurious behaviour
0100716
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • The RDCRN - Inherited Neuropathies Consortium is a team of doctors, nurses, research coordinators, and research labs throughout the U.S., working together to improve the lives of people with Charcot Marie Tooth disease through research. The Inherited Neuropathies Consortium has a registry for patients who wish to be contacted about clinical research opportunities.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

Social Networking Websites

  • RareConnect has an online community for patients and families with this condition so they can connect with others and share their experiences living with a rare disease. The project is a joint collaboration between EURORDIS (European Rare Disease Organisation) and NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders).

Organizations Providing General Support

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Neuropathy, hereditary sensory and autonomic type VII, HSAN7. OMIM. Last updated. December 3, 2015; http://www.omim.org/entry/615548. Accessed 12/15/2016.
  2. SCN11A gene. Genetics Home Reference. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/SCN11A. Accessed 12/15/2016.
  3. Phatarakijnirund V et al.,. Congenital insensitivity to pain: Fracturing without apparent skeletal pathobiology caused by an autosomal dominant, second mutation in SCN11A encoding voltage-gated sodium channel 1.9. Bone. March 2016; 84:289-98. Accessed 12/15/2016.