INTRODUCTION
The author is revisiting the nature of the specifics of the Neuropathy known as RSD. The thrust this time is to be more analytical and to allow a degree of speculation - back with actual research information. The goal here is to propose or attempt to define - what is the exact nature of the disease. What the basic mechanism is, and why it behaves the way it does, and how it manifests and spreads.
WHAT IS RSD - EXACTLY?
There are two distinct physical manifestations of RSD. One is inflammation of tissue. The other is an insult (damage or compromise) to the vascular system and possibly the microvascular systems.
Inflammation of Tissue
There are three categories or instances of tissue inflammation.
The distinction between nerve tissue and the other soft tissue is that nerve tissue pain is in a separate category and is of a much higher intensity with regard to that of other soft tissue pain.One is an inflammation of soft tissue only and does not include any nerves per se. Two is an inflammation of the nerves - only or at least - to a much greater extent than other tissue. Three is a combination of instances one and two - above.
It appears that the following agents either alone or in combination, are responsible for the mediation of either or both of these inflammations:
Insult to the Vascular and Microvascular SystemsInterleukin 1 (a type of cytokine produced by macrophage cells) Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Immune Complex Super Antigens Various Immunoglobulin antibodies (IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM)
There are two categories of vascular insult. One is due to vasoconstriction either from vasoactive agents or from sympathetic nervous system activity. The other is due to attack by antibodies such as IgG, which is made possible by a weakened and compromised immune system.
In the first case, vasoactive agents may occur from the result of kallikreins or by injury to the vascular system thus producing endothelin - a vasoactive agent. The vasoactive agents are responsible for both vasodilation and vasoconstriction. In the case of vasoconstriction - hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the attached tissue occurs. Tissue hypoxia is one of the major causes of pain and tissue damage that is the first noticeable symptom of RSD.
