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We read much about how poorly understood CRPS is among clinicians and researchers. But then, it’s a very bizarre condition indeed. And the results of a recent study have succeeded in muddying the waters further. It’s well-established that CRPS is more common among women by a ratio of at least 3:1. However, the new study suggests that men have a greater genetic predisposition to CRPS. Confused? I certainly am!
Genetic predisposition to CRPS
We all accept that some people develop CRPS type 1 while others don’t after suffering very similar injuries. But why should that be? There has been much speculation that some people have a greater genetic predisposition – i.e. vulnerability – to developing CRPS than others.
Now, a paper published in the Journal of Medical Genetics by a team at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research suggests that men are more likely to carry four genetic variations thought to increase the risk of developing the condition. Of the study participants, 57% of men with CRPS type 1 carried the genetic variations compared to 24% of women.
Although the authors acknowledge that this was a small group study (123 people, including 84 with CRPS) they say the result “raises the possibility of different mechanisms of disease in males and females in CRPS-1 and that therapeutic responses may also be influenced by sex.” They added, “We acknowledge that our genetic results may be only part of the CRPS-1 story; autoimmune disease is more common in women than men, and recent studies strongly suggest it could be causative in some cases of CRPS-1.”
In addition to the small sample size, the participants were primarily Caucasian. But despite the need for a larger scale and more representative study, the team concluded, “Our data support an underlying genetic predisposition to CRPS-1 in up to a third of cases, with this effect being most prominent in males.”