Korean J Pain.  2019 Oct;32(4):292-300. 10.3344/kjp.2019.32.4.292.

Complex regional pain syndrome in the young male population: a retrospective study of 200 Korean young male patients

• Lee HJ
• Lee CS
• Yoo Y
• Noh JM
• Yu JH
• Kim YC
• Moon JY

• KMID: 2462840
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2019.32.4.292

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in young male patients in South Korea, especially focusing on the association with military service.
METHODS
From January 2007 to May 2017, we investigated the electronic medical records of 430 consecutive patients, aged 18 to 30 years, who visited Seoul National University Hospital Pain Center, with a suspected diagnosis of CRPS at the initial visit. The following patient details were available for analysis: demographic and disease-related variables, relevance to military service, medications, and the treatment modalities received.
RESULTS
Out of 430 patients, 245 (57.0%) were diagnosed with CRPS, of which, 200 were male patients and 45 were female patients. Of the male patients, 95 (47.5%) developed CRPS during military service. CRPS during military service was more likely to result from sprain/strain, and the incidence of CRPS was significantly higher in the lower extremities in patients from the military service group than in those from the non-military service group. During the follow-up period, 37.9% of male CRPS patients (n = 61/161) were treated successfully. Patients with moderate to severe initial pain intensity, and diagnosed during their military service, showed better outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrated that manifestation of CRPS in the young Korean population was more common in male and among those male CRPS patients, about half the cases developed during the military service period.

Keyword

Chronic Pain; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome; Epidemiology; Male; Military Medicine; Military Personnel; Neuralgia; Psychological Stress

MeSH Terms

Chronic Pain
Diagnosis
Electronic Health Records
Epidemiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Korea
Lower Extremity
Male*
Military Medicine
Military Personnel
Neuralgia
Pain Clinics
Retrospective Studies*
Seoul
Stress, Psychological

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Diagnostic distribution of this study. PTPS: post-traumatic pain syndrome, CRPS: complex regional pain syndrome.

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  Fig. 2 Complex regional pain syndrome symptoms (A) and signs (B) according to the relevance of military service. Sensory: sensory abnormality such as spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia and/or allodynia, Skin color change: Skin color difference between the affected and contralateral extremities, Temp change: temperature difference between the affected and contralateral extremities.

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