Regarding CRPS Type I, which statement is accurate?

Regarding CRPS Type I, which statement is accurate?

• A. It is characterized by vasomotor dysfunction and edema
• B. It presents with numbness that is worse at night
• C. It is the same as carpal tunnel syndrome
• D. It does not affect the limb's skin temperature

Answer: (A)

CRPS Type I is driven by autonomic (vasomotor) disturbance in the affected limb, leading to abnormal blood flow and edema. That combination—vasomotor dysfunction with swelling—is the hallmark described by the accurate statement. The autonomic changes can also cause temperature and color changes in the skin, reflecting the ongoing dysregulation of blood flow. Numbness that’s worse at night isn’t characteristic of CRPS; that pattern points more toward nerve compression conditions like carpal tunnel, where a single peripheral nerve distribution is affected. CRPS is not the same as carpal tunnel; it involves broader autonomic, sensory, and trophic changes beyond a single nerve entrapment. Finally, CRPS often does affect skin temperature, with the limb sometimes warmer or cooler than the other side due to sympathetic dysfunction, so the statement that it does not affect temperature isn’t accurate.

CRPS Type I is driven by autonomic (vasomotor) disturbance in the affected limb, leading to abnormal blood flow and edema. That combination—vasomotor dysfunction with swelling—is the hallmark described by the accurate statement. The autonomic changes can also cause temperature and color changes in the skin, reflecting the ongoing dysregulation of blood flow.

Numbness that’s worse at night isn’t characteristic of CRPS; that pattern points more toward nerve compression conditions like carpal tunnel, where a single peripheral nerve distribution is affected. CRPS is not the same as carpal tunnel; it involves broader autonomic, sensory, and trophic changes beyond a single nerve entrapment. Finally, CRPS often does affect skin temperature, with the limb sometimes warmer or cooler than the other side due to sympathetic dysfunction, so the statement that it does not affect temperature isn’t accurate.