Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and the Gut-bacteria

The purpose of this study is to investigate, for the first time, whether gut bacteria composition and function of patients with CRPS differ from those of healthy adults. Samples of stool, urine and blood will be collected from patients with CRPS and from healthy adults. The type and function of bacteria of CRPS patients will be analyzed and compared to those of healthy adults to test if potential differences could explain the mechanism/s involved with the development of CRPS.

Inclusion criteria: 1. Women and men over the age of 18, diagnosed with CRPS of the upper or lower limb according to the Clinical Budapest Criteria, with a duration of 6 months and over (for the 1st study group). 2. Healthy women and men over the age of 18, who share a household with a CRPS patients participating in the study (for the 1st control group). 3. Healthy women and men over the age of 18 (for the 2nd control group). 4. Be able to read and write in either French, English or Hebrew. Exclusion criteria: 1. Any major illness (eg. malignancy, active inflammatory disease, metabolic disease, etc.) 2. Pregnancy 3. Chronic pain conditions (other than CRPS in the patients group) 4. Acute illness of any type in the preceding 1 month 5. Use of systemic antibiotics in the preceding 1 month 6. Change in any other regularly taken medications in the past 1 month 7. Substantial dietary / gastrointestinal alterations in the past 1 month. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were set to reduce the risk of confounding factors that could affect gut microbiota composition.