FWD:RSDHope-RSD Study

byrd45 Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:06 am

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From: byrd45 (Original Message) Sent: 2/21/2006 5:18 PM
5) RSD Study

Public Release Date - January 30, 2006

Study finds nerve damage in previously mysterious chronic pain syndrome
Reduction in small-fiber nerves may underlie complex regional pain syndrome-I (reflex sympathetic dystrophy)

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found the first evidence of a physical abnormality underlying the chronic pain condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome-I (CRPS-I). In the February issue of the journal Pain, they describe finding that skin affected by CRPS-I pain appears to have lost some small-fiber nerve endings, a change characteristic of other neuropathic pain syndromes.

"This sort of small-fiber degeneration has been found in every nerve pain condition ever studied, including postherpetic neuralgia and neuropathies associated with diabetes and HIV infection," says Anne Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Nerve Injury Unit, who led the study. "The nerve damage in those conditions has been much more severe, which may be why it's been so hard to detect CRPS-I-related nerve damage."

Complex regional pain syndrome is the current name for a baffling condition first described in the 19th century in which some patients are left with severe chronic pain and other symptoms - swelling, excess sweating, change in skin color and temperature - after what may be a fairly minor injury. The fact that patients' pain severity is out of proportion to the original injury is a hallmark of the syndrome, and has led many to doubt whether patients' symptoms are caused by physical damage or by a psychological disorder. Pain not associated with a known nerve injury has been called CRPS-I, while symptoms following damage to a major nerve has been called CRPS-II.

FOR THE REST OF THIS STORY, VISIT THIS WEBPAGE;

http://www.rsdhope.org/Showpage.asp?PAGE_ID=131&PGCT_ID=3786 ---------------------------------------------------

Good website to check out, Jason has an excellent RSD Blog that he updates with RSD articles.

http://www.rsds-crps-news.blogspot.com