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Introduction to Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Incidence of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
The incidence of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in the general population is a subject of extensive debate since only two population-based studies have been published and their results varied widely. A study conducted in 2003 in the U.S. reported that the incidence of RSD was approximately 5 per 100,000 people annually while a study completed in the Netherlands in 2006 reported a rate of approximately 26 people per 100,000 annually. If those standards were applied in the U.S. population, it would translate into up to 50,000 new cases of RSD annually. Part of the reason for this wide discrepancy in the two studies is the lack of standardized criteria for the diagnosis of RSD.
