Photophobia and neuropathic pain in Sudecḱs syndrome

Abstract

The case is presented of a 14 year-old patient diagnosed with Sudeck's syndrome secondary to uneventful foot trauma. The patient complained of decreased visual acuity along with photophobia and intense ocular pain not correlated with the exploratory findings. Sudeck's syndrome is an idiopathic neuropathic inflammatory disease characterised by disproportionate pain, unrelated to a previous traumatic event, which can evolve to severe and generalised pain. A new explanation has recently described this as "neuropathic eye pain" for those patients with severe eye pain that do not correlate with clinical signs. In the case presented here, the pain became widespread and led to photophobia and very intense ocular neuropathic pain. It is believed that this was the cause of the visual decrease presented by this patient. It is proposed that the Sudeck syndrome should become part of the differential diagnosis of neuropathic eye pain.

Keywords: Disproportionate pain; Dolor desproporcionado; Dolor neuropático; Fotofobia; Neuropathic pain; Photophobia; Sudeck's syndrome; Síndrome Sudeck.