Improved Situation for People with Sudeck's Disease
It’s a perfect fit: To raise awareness for people with CRPS, improve early diagnosis, and ensure better long-term medical care, the Leading Medicine Guide is partnering with the national association “CRPS Network.” The network is leveraging the strengths that have made the well-known premium portal the leading source of reliable patient information in the healthcare landscape—and hopes to promote education, transparency, and greater certainty in diagnoses.
A Clear Message: The CRPS Network Emphasizes Solidarity and Education
CRPS Diagnosis: Many people suffering from this disease have been through a veritable odyssey. This is because those affected by this complex regional pain syndrome typically do not exhibit clear, easily identifiable symptoms. Many primary care physicians, in particular, are quickly overwhelmed by this. The reason: Sudeck’s disease—as the condition is also known, after the physician who first described it—can only be diagnosed by ruling out virtually every other conceivable condition. And that can be a lengthy process.
In addition, the symptoms that arise can vary greatly. They include vague pain—especially pain upon touch—that appears after surgery or trauma, occurring both during physical activity and at rest. So if persistent, severe pain occurs in the arms or legs in conjunction with inflammation, and if mobility in the affected limbs is also restricted—then doctors should definitely keep this pain syndrome in mind when making a diagnosis.
Difficult Diagnosis: Better to See a Specialist Right Away
This is easier said than done, because CRPS usually develops following injuries to the extremities—that is, when pain is already present and mobility is limited. The fact that the symptoms can vary as the disease progresses does not make diagnosis any easier. Nevertheless, in addition to pain, typical symptoms include swelling, changes in skin color and temperature, excessive sweating, and changes in hair and fingernail growth.
Two to five percent of patients with the aforementioned injuries develop Sudeck’s disease—a surprisingly high number. No wonder, then, that many people turn to the CRPS Network—run by those affected—often desperately searching for a truly skilled specialist with extensive expertise in fields such as pain medicine or traumatology. And that’s exactly where the Leading Medicine Guide comes in.
So which specialists can be recommended to patients who suffer from CRPS or suspect they may have developed the condition? “Until now, we’ve maintained our own lists of recommendations,” says the network’s national association, “and provided them upon request.” They continue: “For years, the Leading Medicine Guide portal has been informing patients about various medical topics and assisting them in their search for specialists.”
Advantage of the Leading Medicine Guide: Close collaboration with selected physicians
So the CRPS Network, which is based in Cologne and supports self-help groups in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, set out to find a suitable partner. The choice was not difficult: “There are countless medical information portals on the German-language web,” said a network spokesperson, but for high-quality content, “it is extremely important that such resources are supported and advised by experts—such as doctors.” The Leading Medicine Guide was recognized for this quality because, according to the Federal Association: “The German Publisher for Health Information works closely with selected physicians who provide information on the latest medical findings, support events and lectures, evaluate new trends in medicine, and serve as key partners in the further development of the websites.”
As a first step, the association reviewed the specialists recommended by the Leading Medicine Guide for complex regional pain syndrome—and updated the list. “We are also actively contributing to the information on CRPS,” the network further clarified.
High Level of Expertise: CRPS Specialists in the Leading Medicine Guide
Wide Reach for Greater Diagnostic Certainty
Patients living with “Mr. Sudeck”—as those affected often describe it—can therefore look forward to increased attention in the future. For all parties involved, the collaboration also carries the hope that diagnostic accuracy will be significantly improved in German-speaking countries in the future. “Our collaboration with the premium portal Leading Medicine Guide will make treatment for patients with CRPS faster and more targeted,” the network stated with enthusiasm. After all, the specialists affiliated with Leading Medicine Guide have an enormous reach—including, for example, through social media. As stated on the relevant page of the online portal: “The earlier the disease is detected, the better the prognosis.”
