Background: Many patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) report some foreignness of the affected limb, which is referred to as "neglect-like symptoms" (NLS). Despite similarities of the NLS reports to symptoms of body image disturbances in mental disorders, no study has been conducted to examine such associations. Methods: We investigated 50 patients with CRPS and 45 pain control patients (N = 27, chronic limb pain; N = 18, migraine headache). NLS, anxiety, depression, depersonalization, and somatization were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: Seventy-two percent of the CRPS patients reported at least one NLS vs 29.6% and 33.3% in the two patient control groups. In limb pain controls, NLS correlated with pain intensity. In CRPS patients, NLS correlated with anxiety (rho = 0.658, P < 0.001), somatization (rho = 0.616, P < 0.001), depersonalization (rho = 0.634, P < 0.001), and pain catastrophizing (rho = 0.456, P < 0.01), but not with intensity of pain, duration of pain, or pain disability. Conclusions: In CRPS patients, NLS could be a result of somatization, depression, anxiety, and depersonalization, but probably not of pain. Whether these associations are causative must be clarified in longitudinal psychological studies.
Background: Many patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) report some foreignness of the affected limb, which is referred to as "neglect-like symptoms" (NLS). Despite similarities of the NLS reports to symptoms of body image disturbances in mental disorders, no study has been conducted to examine such associations. Methods: We investigated 50 patients with CRPS and 45 pain control patients (N = 27, chronic limb pain; N = 18, migraine headache). NLS, anxiety, depression, depersonalization, and somatization were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: Seventy-two percent of the CRPSpatients reported at least one NLS vs 29.6% and 33.3% in the two patient control groups. In limb pain controls, NLS correlated with pain intensity. In CRPSpatients, NLS correlated with anxiety (rho = 0.658, P < 0.001), somatization (rho = 0.616, P < 0.001), depersonalization (rho = 0.634, P < 0.001), and pain catastrophizing (rho = 0.456, P < 0.01), but not with intensity of pain, duration of pain, or pain disability. Conclusions: In CRPSpatients, NLS could be a result of somatization, depression, anxiety, and depersonalization, but probably not of pain. Whether these associations are causative must be clarified in longitudinal psychological studies.
Authors: Frank Birklein; Seena K Ajit; Andreas Goebel; Roberto S G M Perez; Claudia Sommer Journal: Nat Rev Neurol Date: 2018-03-16 Impact factor: 42.937
Authors: Annika Reinersmann; Ian W Skinner; Thomas Lücke; Nicola Massy-Westropp; Henrik Rudolf; G Lorimer Moseley; Tasha R Stanton Journal: PeerJ Date: 2021-05-03 Impact factor: 2.984