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Updated: Apr 3, 2026
07:12
Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats
Published on: January 21, 2020
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Skin sympathetic function in complex regional pain syndrome type 1
Anupama Poudel1, Masato Asahina2, Yoshikatsu Fujinuma3
1Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. anupamauprety@yahoo.com.
Summary
Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1) patients show reduced sympathetic sweat response and skin vasomotor reflex. This suggests potential damage to sympathetic nerve fibers in affected limbs of CRPS-1 individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Dermatology
- Pain Medicine
Background:
- Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1) involves significant cutaneous abnormalities.
- The precise role of sympathetic nervous system dysfunction in CRPS-1 pathophysiology remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cutaneous sympathetic nervous system function in CRPS-1 patients.
- To assess sympathetic sweat response (SSwR) and skin vasomotor reflex (SkVR) in individuals with CRPS-1.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 10 CRPS-1 patients and 10 healthy controls.
- Measured SkVR and SSwR amplitudes on the affected (CRPS-1) and contralateral (control) palms during sympathetic stimulation.
- Analyzed differences in autonomic responses between groups and correlated with disease duration.
Main Results:
- No significant baseline differences in sweat output or skin blood flow were observed.
- CRPS-1 patients exhibited significantly lower SSwR and SkVR amplitudes compared to controls.
- No correlation was found between disease duration and the measured sympathetic responses in CRPS-1 patients.
Conclusions:
- Reduced SSwR and SkVR in CRPS-1 patients indicate impaired cutaneous sympathetic function.
- Findings suggest potential postganglionic sympathetic fiber damage in the affected limb of CRPS-1 patients.
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