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ANALGESIA

Increased Plasma Serotonin in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1

Feikje Wesseldijk, MD^*, Durk Fekkes, PhD, Frank J. Huygen, MD, PhD^*, Elly Bogaerts-Taal, BSc, and Freek J. Zijlstra, PhD^*

From the Departments of *Anesthesiology and Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Zijlstra, Assoc. Prof., Department of Anesthesiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Address e-mail to f.zijlstra{at}erasmusmc.nl.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1), some improvement can be achieved by the administration of ketanserin, a 5-HT_2A receptor antagonist. We measured plasma levels of serotonin (5-HT) during CRPS1 and correlated these levels with disease characteristics.

METHODS: Plasma 5-HT was measured in 35 patients who had CRPS1 for 3 yr and compared with 35 age-matched healthy controls.

RESULTS: The plasma 5-HT levels were 411 ± 263 nmol/L and 29 ± 18 nmol/L, respectively (P < 0.001). No correlations with disease characteristics were observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The markedly elevated levels of plasma 5-HT in CRPS1 patients suggest a role for 5-HT during the course of this disease. However, because of the lack of correlations with distinct disease characteristics, 5-HT is probably one of a number of mediators in CRPS1.