Document resource
Background and Aims Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a genetic connective tissue disorder that primarily affects the skin and joints, often leading to joint instability and dislocations. These injuries may increase the risk of developing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a chronic pain condition typically triggered by trauma or surgery. We explore the co-occurrence of EDS and CRPS and assess how this relationship varies by age and sex in a large, population-based dataset.Methods This retrospective cohort study used 2017–2022 Merative MarketScan data (IRB# 2017–0169) including commercially insured US patients. First, unique patients with EDS (ICD-10: Q79.6) and without EDS (EDS+, EDS-) were identified after which we assessed subsequent (post-EDS diagnosis) development of CRPS (ICD-10: G90.5x, G56.4x, G57.7x; CRPS+, CRPS-). We report CRPS risk (and associated demographics including age and sex) among EDS and non-EDS patients.Results Among n=54,235,476 patients from 2017 through 2022, there were n=26,053 (0.05%) and n=51,424 (0.09%) patients with an EDS and CRPS diagnosis, respectively. Risk of developing CRPS was higher among EDS patients (n=273/n=26,053; 1.05%) compared to patients without an EDS diagnosis (n=51,151 54,158,272; 0.09%); risk ratio: 11.12 CI 9.89–12.51. Among EDS patients developing CRPS (versus those that did not) there was a higher proportion of women (n=264/273; 96.7% versus n=20,949/25,780; 81.3%), while there were no differences in median age (both groups, 27 years); table 1.Abstract OP32 Table 1Demographics of patients groups by EDS and CRPS diagnoses from 2017–2022Conclusions These findings suggest that patients with EDS (compared to the general population) carry a substantial higher risk of developing CRPS, especially among women, suggesting a link between connective tissue disorders and the subsequent development of CRPS. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms of this association.