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Autoimmunity in Complex‐Regional Pain Syndrome
Author(s) -
BLAES F.,
TSCHERNATSCH M.,
BRAEU M. E.,
MATZ O.,
SCHMITZ K.,
NASCIMENTO D.,
KAPS M.,
BIRKLEIN F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1381.018
Subject(s) - complex regional pain syndrome , etiology , autoantibody , autoimmunity , pathophysiology , medicine , immunology , disease , neuroscience , immune system , psychology , antibody , anesthesia
Abstract : Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an etiologically unclear syndrome with the main symptoms being pain, trophic and autonomic disturbances, and functional impairment that develops after limb trauma or operation and is located at the distal site of the affected limb. Because autoantibodies against nervous system structures have been described in these patients, an autoimmune etiology of CRPS is discussed. These autoantibodies bind to the surface of peripheral autonomic neurons. Using a competitive binding assay, it can be shown that at least some of the CRPS sera bind to the same neuronal epitope. Autoimmune etiology of CRPS is a new pathophysiological concept and may have severe impact on the treatment of this often chronic disease.