BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of
complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in young
male patients in
South Korea , especially focusing on the
association with
military service.
METHODS: From January 2007 to May 2017, we investigated the
electronic medical records of 430 consecutive
patients ,
aged 18 to 30 years,
who visited
Seoul National
University Hospital Pain Center , with a suspected
diagnosis of CRPS at the initial visit. The following
patient details were available for
analysis: demographic and
disease -related variables, relevance to
military service, medications, and the
treatment modalities received.
RESULTS: Out of 430
patients , 245 (57.0%) were diagnosed with CRPS, of which, 200 were
male patients and 45 were
female patients . Of the
male patients , 95 (47.5%) developed CRPS during
military service. CRPS during
military service was more likely to result from
sprain /
strain , and the
incidence of CRPS was significantly higher in the
lower extremities in
patients from the
military service group than in those from the non-
military service group. During the follow-up period, 37.9% of
male CRPS
patients (n = 61/161) were treated successfully.
Patients with moderate to severe initial
pain intensity , and diagnosed during their
military service, showed better outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that manifestation of CRPS in the young Korean
population was more common in
male and among those
male CRPS
patients , about half the cases developed during the
military service period.