The reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a poorly understood, painful syndrome that consists of multiple clinical manifestations, including pain, swelling, dystrophic cutaneous changes and autonomic dysfunction involving one or more extremities. The RSD following herpes zoster is not always easily recognized, and only a few documented cases of this complication have been reported, what makes this report even more interesting. We present the case of a 65 years old white woman, with characteristic signs and symptoms of RSD in the right upper limb observed four weeks after she had had a typical herpes zoster involving the dermatomes. Early diagnosis and treatment with intranasal calcitonin and physiotherapy lead to progressive functional and pain improvements after one month.
reflex sympathetic dystrophy; algoneurodystrophy; herpes zoster
