Defining abnormal cold sensitivity using the Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity questionnaire: a population study

• Published in: Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume)
• Main Authors: Stjernbrandt, Albin, Liljelind, Ingrid, Nilsson, Tohr, Wahlström, Jens
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2021
• Subjects: Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1753193421996221; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1753193421996221; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/1753193421996221

Cold sensitivity, a common and disabling sequela of hand injury, can be assessed using the Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity (CISS) questionnaire, rating symptoms on a scale from 4 to 100. The primary objective of this study was to define a clinical cut-off for abnormal cold sensitivity based on the CISS score in a healthy working-age population. The secondary objective was to investigate how age, gender and previous injuries and diseases influence CISS scoring. In this study, 1239 out of 1582 selected healthy subjects of working age living in northern Sweden completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 78%. The 95th percentile for the CISS score was 49.5 for men and 53.0 for women. The effects of age, gender and previous injuries and diseases were minor and not considered clinically relevant. The results support that a CISS score above 50 should be considered as abnormal cold sensitivity. Level of evidence: III