DrugBuyers.Com: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome

Found this looking over a health board, sounds an awful lot like fibromyalgia?? Have any of you ever heard of this?

1. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD) is a chronic pain disease affecting millions of people in this country. Because clinical diagnosis is difficult, estimates range from less than 200,000 cases to as many as six million. A medical device company that manufactures equipment used in treating RSDS has recently speculated that 1.5 million persons suffer from RSDS in the U.S.

2. RSD is also referred to as CRPS, or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Although there are many variations in symptomology, pain disproportionate to the precipitating injury is common in all cases. RSD is a neurological disease. It is a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system in which nerves misfire, sending constant pain signals to the brain. It develops in response to an event the body perceives as traumatic, such as an accident, a fall, or surgery. It can develop after even minor injuries, such as a sprain or IV insertion.

3. The most universal symptom of RSD is pain, usually described as burning or stinging in quality. Another hallmark symptom is excruciating sensitivity of the skin. Even the lightest touch (such as clothing, bedsheets, shower spray, a light breeze) is perceived by the sufferer as intolerably painful. Other symptoms include swelling, color and temperature abnormalities in the affected part, unusual sweating, and nail changes. Patients also experience difficulty initiating movement, muscle spasms, tremors, weakness, fatigue, frequent infections, and headaches.

4. According to a Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association of America (RSDSA) membership survey, RSD spreads in as many as 70% of patients. It can spread to contiguous areas of the body or cross over to affect the same area of the opposite limb. RSD can also spread to an unrelated site, especially following another trauma.

5. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are critical, before the course of the disease becomes irreversible. Delay could mean a lifetime of pain and disability.

6. Successful treatment is likely to consist of a combination of modalities. It might include physical therapy, medication, transculaneous electrical nerve stimulation, psychological support, and nerve blocks. In some cases, sympathectomy or implantation of a dorsal column stimulator or medication pump may be recommended. Surgery on an RSD patient should be performed advisedly, as it almost always leads to an exacerbation of pre-existing symptoms.

7. The pain is real. Neuropathic pain does not show up on X-rays and cannot be measured by standard diagnostic tests. As a result, some patients may develop psychological difficulties when their pain is not understood by families, friends, or physicians.

8. There is no cure, but there is hope. The RSDSA is a national organization that provides information and support to RSDS patients and their families. Its mission is to increase awareness of RSDS and to raise funds for much-needed research. For more information, contact the RSDSA at P.O. Box 502, Milford, CT 06460, (203) 877-3790.