Abstract
Post-traumatic cold intolerance ( CI ) is used to describe a group of symptoms, such as pain, discomfort, and numbness, that arise after exposure to cold. CI is recognized as one of the most disabling sequelae of upper extremity traumas. The Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity ( CISS ) questionnaire was developed by Irwin et al., and there have been several reports about the reliability of this assessment tool. In this study, we retrospectively investigated patients with complex tissue injuries of the upper extremities. We aimed to evaluate their CISS scores ; to perform statistical analyses of the correlations between the CISS score and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand ( DASH ) or Hand 20 score ; and to identify prognostic factors related to CI. A CISS score of > 30 was defined as abnormal CI. The mean CISS score of the study subjects ( n=36 ) was 35.6. Thus, the positivity rate was 52.8% ( 19/36 ). The DASH score and Hand 20 score were correlated with the CISS score. A significant statistical difference was detected between age and the CISS score. The CISS questionnaire might be a valuable assessment tool.
