REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY: RECOGNITION OF SOME RISK FACTORS

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Reflex sympathetic dystrophy occurs most often in the extremities after aninjury. It causes the limb to undergo chronic pain, swelling, redness, tenderness and stiffnesswith patchy rarefaction. The diagnosis is mainly clinical and delay in diagnosis ends withpoor prognosis. Therefore predicting this problem is important by noticing the risk factors.Aim of this study is to highlight some risk factors for development of this disorder.Patients and methods: The study included those patients who sustained trauma to theirextremities or underwent surgery. Children and those with clear nerve injury were excludedfrom the study. Those who did not show the clinical features of RSD were included in thegroup 1 and we considered them as a control group, while those who had RSD features wereincluded in the group 2.Results: The total number of the patients were 143 case. In Group 1 the male to female ratiowas 3:2, the average age was 36 years. 65 of them had trauma to their upper limb and 31 tolower limb. Most of them had no psychological symptoms. In Group 2 the male to femaleratio was 1:4 and the average age was 53 years. 27 with upper limb trauma and 20 with lowerlimb. All the patients of this group had clear psychological disturbance and 45 (95.7%) ofthem had pre-morbid stressful personality.Conclusion: age (middle), gender (female) and stressful personality are risk factors todevelop RSD if such a person sustained trauma or did a surgical procedure. The extremityinvolved and the type of injury seems to have no role in development of RSD.