Erythromelalgia is a infrequent painful condition this is difficult to treat and largely affects the feet and also the hands. It is described through the triad of redness, warmth and also burning pain. The episodes with this disorder are intermittent and last anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Attacks will often get started with a basic itching, however after that moves on to severe pain and a burning pain. The feet or hands will become hotter, tender and also bloated along with look a red tone. The episodes are really crippling and will definitely have a significant effect on the person with an affect on the standard of living and also the ability to carry out some of the typical actions of day to day life.
There's two different types of erythromelalgia. One is the primary kind that has a tendency to have an impact on younger people and is more than likely due to a inherited genetic trait which make nerve fibers more excitable. The alternative variety tends to have an impact on older persons and it is as a result of an underpinning condition such as diabetes, gout, some blood disorders or as a side affect to specific drugs. There are a variety of disorders that are similar and physicians will likely need to distinguish it from them as part of the examination. Included in this are problems like persistent pain syndromes, chilblains and also burning foot symptoms.
The management of erythromelalgia is difficult because there is no one therapy that seems to help everybody and the response to therapy is pretty diverse between people. The initial tactic is to steer clear of circumstances which trigger an attack for example a hot bath, environmental triggers or particular foods. Most people with erythromelalgia will find help by cooling down with the use of air conditioning as well as cooling gels. Some do make use of immersion of the arm or leg into cold water however, this will not be advised as this may result in moisture accumulation in the skin and even chilblains and they may develop a secondary infection.
With the second kind of erythromelalgia, treatment is generally aimed at management of the underpinning medical problem, and this is often very useful. For the primary type of erythromelalgia the treating of the pain sensation is usually a great deal more difficult with the response to various drugs being diverse among people. Often anti-inflammatory medicines are tried out, however they are frequently not helpful. Medication which obstruct the channels within the nerves which make the nerve impulses overactive are frequently tested out and these do generally assist some. The anticonvulsant drugs for example gabapentin can help quite a few. There are several topical cream medications which some find effective which include capsaicin. With the toughest cases sympathetic block or a sympathectomy that will involve surgery on the lower back may be undertaken. Nonetheless, the outcomes of these are mixed. When the discomfort is intense and the problem is hard to manage and has such an impact on the daily life of those who have erythromelalgia it is strongly recommended that all those with it have a appointment with a pain treatment expert and also clinical psychologists to help them handle the symptoms and learn the techniques which are useful for dealing with the pain.
