Erythromelalgia is a very rare distressing disorder this is hard to treat and predominantly has effects on your feet and also hands. This condition is described through the triad of redness, increased temperature along with burning discomfort. The episodes for this disorder are intermittent and range from minutes to several days. Episodes will normally begin with a straightforward itchiness, however after that progress to intense pain and the burning discomfort. The foot or hand will become warmer, tender and also bloated along with take on a reddish colour. The episodes are very disabling and can have a considerable impact on the individual with an affect on the standard of living as well as the capacity to undertake some of the common activities of everyday life.
There's two different types of erythromelalgia. One is the primary variety that is likely to impact younger individuals and is probably as a result of inherited genetic mutation that make nerve fibers more excitable. The secondary kind tends to affect older people and is because of an underpinning medical condition such as diabetes, gout, some blood disorders or as a side affect to certain prescription drugs. There are a number of conditions that are similar and physicians will likely need to differentiate it from these as part of the analysis. These include disorders such as chronic pain problems, chilblains and burning feet disorder.
Dealing with erythromelalgia is frustrating as there is simply no one therapy that appears to help everybody along with the response to treatment is quite diverse among people. The main strategy should be to keep away from circumstances which set off an episode such as a hot bath, external triggers or particular foods. Many people with it will find relief from cooling down with the aid of an air conditioner and cooling gels. Some do turn to immersion of the arm or leg in icy water however this isn't advised as this can bring about moisture accumulation in the skin and even chilblains plus they might develop a secondary bacterial infection.
With the secondary kind of erythromelalgia, treatment will likely be aimed towards therapy for the underlying condition, which can often be beneficial. For the primary kind of erythromelalgia the treating of the pain is commonly considerably more difficult with the response to several drugs being different between individuals. Often anti-inflammatory drugs are experimented with, but are frequently unhelpful. Medication that block the channels within the nerve cells that make the nerves overactive are sometimes experimented with and these do tend to help some. The anticonvulsant drugs for example gabapentin may help quite a few. There are a few topical medications which some find very helpful such as capsaicin. With the worst type of circumstances sympathetic block or surgery on the back nerves which does involve surgical treatment on the back could possibly be performed. Nevertheless, the outcomes of these are varying. When the discomfort is serious and the condition is difficult to treat and has such an affect on the everyday life of those who have erythromelalgia experts recommend that all those with it have a appointment with a pain treatment specialist and also clinical psychologists to assist them to deal with the pain and learn the techniques which are helpful for coping.