• J H Geertzen, P U Dijkstra, J W Groothoff, H J ten Duis, and W H Eisma.
• Department of Rehabilitation, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
• Acta Orthop Scand Suppl. 1998 Apr 1; 279: 19-23.

AbstractThe aim of this retrospective long-term follow-up study was to describe the psychosocial aspects, such as social life events (SLE), around the causative event of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and the psychological history of 65 patients, 3-9 years after RSD of the upper extremity. General health and long-term changes in occupation were assessed by means of a general health questionnaire (RAND-36) and a structured interview, respectively. SLE, with a life-change unit rate more than 35, was present in 32 patients. A psychological (or psychiatric) history was found in 22 patients. In total, 60% of the patients had a SLE and/or a psychological history. The pain scores of the RAND-36 among RSD patients differed significantly from those of the control group. 17 patients changed occupation after RSD. Nearly 30% of the patients had to stop work for more than one year. The results show a high coincidence between RSD and associated psychosocial disorders and this may play a role in intensifying and prolonging the symptomatology of RSD.

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