Pain, disability, and lifestyle: Patients with complex regional pain syndrome compared to chronic musculoskeletal pain-A retrospective analysis

Background Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an orphan disease occurring as a complication after trauma. Due to its acute onset and the typical clinical presentation of the inflammatory and autonomous signs, it is an eye-catching chronic pain disease affecting also young and working people. In social media and the internet, high pain severity and the unfavourable prognosis are often empathized. Methods Here, we compared epidemiological, pain and lifestyle factors of 223 CPRS patients from the “ncRNAPain” cohort with 255 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (MSK). MSK patients were recruited at the beginning of a multimodal pain therapy programme. We searched for factors predicting pain intensity. Results Both chronic pain diseases affected women in middle age. Patients with MSK were more obese, drank more alcohol, and were less educated (Pearson chi-square Test or Mann–Whitney/U-Test). Both groups smoked more than healthy people in the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Mann–Whitney/U-Test confirmed that CRPS patients did not have more severe pain and did not suffer more from pain-related disability than patients with MSK. CRPS patients also had less psychiatric comorbidities. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that group assignment, depressive characteristics, body mass index, average alcohol consumption and smoking predicted higher pain ratings, while disease duration, anxiety symptoms or gender had no influence on pain intensity. Conclusion In summary, our study supports a more optimistic view on pain in CRPS patients in comparison to MSK and identifies lifestyle factors that might contribute to the pathophysiology like smoking and drinking. Important next steps are the identification of CRPS patients at risk for chronification or—vice versa—with protective factors for pain resolution. Significance This study compares complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and chronic musculoskeletal pain and questions previously reported pain, disability and lifestyle factors associated with CRPS

Chance or challenge, spoilt for choice? New recommendations on diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy: the German/Austrian position and review of the literature

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is caused by pathogenic variants (ATTR(v)) in the TTR gene. Alongside cardiac dysfunction, the disease typically manifests with a severely progressive sensorimotor and autonomic polyneuropathy. Three different drugs, tafamidis, patisiran, and inotersen, are approved in several countries, including the European Union and the United States of America. By stabilizing the TTR protein or degrading its mRNA, all types of treatment aim at preventing amyloid deposition and stopping the otherwise fatal course. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to recognize both onset and progression of neuropathy as early as possible. To establish recommendations for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the follow-up of both pre-symptomatic mutation carriers and patients with manifest ATTR(v) amyloidosis with polyneuropathy, German and Austrian experts elaborated a harmonized position. This paper is further based on a systematic review of the literature. Potential challenges in the early recognition of disease onset and progression are the clinical heterogeneity and the subjectivity of sensory and autonomic symptoms. Progression cannot be defined by a single test or score alone but has to be evaluated considering various disease aspects and their dynamics over time. The first-line therapy should be chosen based on individual symptom constellations and contra-indications. If symptoms worsen, this should promptly implicate to consider optimizing treatment. Due to the rareness and variability of ATTR(v) amyloidosis, the clinical course is most importantly directive in doubtful cases. Therefore, a systematic follow-up at an experienced center is crucial to identify progression and reassure patients and carriers