title: Skin sympathetic function in complex regional pain syndrome type 1.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cutaneous sympathetic pathophysiology in complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1) is not yet completely understood. To evaluate cutaneous sympathetic dysfunction in CRPS-1, we evaluated sympathetic sweat response (SSwR) and skin vasomotor reflex (SkVR) in CRPS-1 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 10 CRPS-1 patients (age 41 ± 13 years; 5 females and 5 males; disease duration 20 ± 22 months) and 10 healthy subjects (age 44 ± 13 years; 3 females and 7 males). SkVRs and SSwRs to several sympathetic activating procedures were recorded on the palms of the CRPS-1 patients (affected side) and controls (right side).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the baselines of sweat output and skin blood flow between the CRPS-1 and control groups. SSwR and SkVR amplitudes were significantly lower in the CRPS-1 group than in the control group. There was no significant correlation between disease duration and SSwR or SkVR amplitudes among the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduced SSwRs and SkVRs in the affected limb of our CRPS-1 patients may reflect underlying damage to the sympathetic postganglionic fibres.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. anupamauprety@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Anupama
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poudel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan. asahina@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asahina
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshikatsu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujinuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katagiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuwabara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012019:Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013546:Sweating / Q000502:physiology*; D017779:Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000502:physiology*; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Autonomic nervous system; Complex regional pain syndrome; Skin sympathetic function; Sweating; Vasomotor system