title: Sympathetic skin response (SSR) in erythromelalgia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Erythromelalgia (EM) is characterized by severe pain associated with local redness and hotness in the extremities. When the extremity is lowered, or heat is applied, the pain is intensified and when coldness is applied, or the extremity is elevated the pain is decreased.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if there is any sympathetic nervous system involvement in erythromelalgia, sympathetic skin response (SSR) test was done.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted during the years 1998-2000 in the Department of Physical medicine and Rehabilitation, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.
  
  
  METHODS
  SSR study was done on 22 patients with erythromelalgia and 22 normal subjects were matched for age and sex for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is a significant difference between the patients and controls especially in the lower extremity findings (P = 0.000). More than 72.7% of the patients had abnormal SSR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that sympathetic peripheral fibers (C fibers) are involved in erythromelalgia and it is probably the pathogenesis of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 71345-1733, Bahonar Post Office, Shiraz, Iran. Bkazemi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.forename: S M Jazayeri
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shooshtari
authors.forename: M R Vafaii
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nasab
authors.forename: R Salman
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Roghani
authors.forename: F Moslemi
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Haghighi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000320:Adrenergic Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D004916:Erythromelalgia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*