Illness behavior and psychosocial factors in diffuse upper limb pain disorder: a case-control study.

Objective: To compare behavioral and other psychosocial factors in patients with diffuse upper limb pain disorder (ULPD) and patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: We compared 37 hospital outpatients with diffuse ULPD with 36 hospital outpatients with CTS, matched by sex, pain intensity, and duration of illness. We assessed psychiatric morbidity by a standardized interview, and both symptoms and personality by self-rated questionnaires.