Research published by Dutch scientists in the European Journal of Pain suggests that genetic factors may play a role in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Families were recruited through the Dutch Association of CRPS and through referral by doctors.
Thirty one CRPS families with two or more affected relatives were identified, including two families with five, four with four, eight with three and seventeen with two affected relatives. In comparison with sporadic CRPS patients, familial CRPS patients had a younger age at onset and, more often, had multiple affected extremities and dystonia.
The researchers concluded that CRPS may occur in a familial form, but did not find a clear inheritance pattern. Patients with familial CRPS seem to develop the condition at a younger age and have a more severe phenotype than sporadic cases, suggesting a genetic pre-disposition to develop CRPS.