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Postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and trigeminal neuralgia - Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain in 58,480 rural Italian primary care patients

Buono, Nicola ; Thulesius, Hans LU orcid ; Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando LU orcid ; Castelli, Elena and Cambielli, Marco (2017) In Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care 6(1). p.110-114
Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain (CPNP) is a condition due to peripheral nervous system diseases or injury, but its prevalence is unknown in Italian primary care.

AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of CPNP in a rural primary care area in Northern Italy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter audit study was carried out in a rural area in Northern Italy with 113 participating general practitioners (GPs) seeing 58,480 patients >18 years during 3 months. Patients who for any reason attended GPs' surgeries and had symptoms suggestive of neuropathic pain (NP) were given the NP diagnostic questionnaire "Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions" (DN4) and recorded their pain level on a visual... (More)

INTRODUCTION: Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain (CPNP) is a condition due to peripheral nervous system diseases or injury, but its prevalence is unknown in Italian primary care.

AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of CPNP in a rural primary care area in Northern Italy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter audit study was carried out in a rural area in Northern Italy with 113 participating general practitioners (GPs) seeing 58,480 patients >18 years during 3 months. Patients who for any reason attended GPs' surgeries and had symptoms suggestive of neuropathic pain (NP) were given the NP diagnostic questionnaire "Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions" (DN4) and recorded their pain level on a visual analog scale (VAS).

RESULTS: Chronic NP was established by a DN4 score of ≥4 and a VAS pain score of ≥40 mm for >6 months together with a clinical diagnosis in 448 (254 women and 194 men) out of 58,480 patients giving a prevalence of 0.77%. 179 patients (0.31%) had diabetes neuropathy, 142 (0.24%) had postherpetic pain, 41 (0.07%) had trigeminal neuralgia, 27 (0.05%) had NP postinjury, 27 (0.05%) had NP caused by nerve entrapments, 11 (0.02%) had NP triggered by systemic diseases, and 21 (0.04%) had NP of unknown etiology.

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CPNP in this population of primary care attenders in a rural area in Northern Italy was 0.77%. Diabetes neuropathy (0.31%) and postherpetic pain (0.24%) were the two most common subgroups of NP, followed by trigeminal neuralgia (0.07%).

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
volume
6
issue
1
pages
5 pages
publisher
Wolters Kluwer
external identifiers
  • pmid:29026761
ISSN
2249-4863
DOI
10.4103/2249-4863.214980
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9b78528a-7dae-4d42-b29b-6fd0a77cb37e
date added to LUP
2019-06-17 10:40:18
date last changed
2025-04-04 13:54:08
@article{9b78528a-7dae-4d42-b29b-6fd0a77cb37e,
  abstract     = {{<p>INTRODUCTION: Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain (CPNP) is a condition due to peripheral nervous system diseases or injury, but its prevalence is unknown in Italian primary care.</p><p>AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of CPNP in a rural primary care area in Northern Italy.</p><p>MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter audit study was carried out in a rural area in Northern Italy with 113 participating general practitioners (GPs) seeing 58,480 patients &gt;18 years during 3 months. Patients who for any reason attended GPs' surgeries and had symptoms suggestive of neuropathic pain (NP) were given the NP diagnostic questionnaire "Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions" (DN4) and recorded their pain level on a visual analog scale (VAS).</p><p>RESULTS: Chronic NP was established by a DN4 score of ≥4 and a VAS pain score of ≥40 mm for &gt;6 months together with a clinical diagnosis in 448 (254 women and 194 men) out of 58,480 patients giving a prevalence of 0.77%. 179 patients (0.31%) had diabetes neuropathy, 142 (0.24%) had postherpetic pain, 41 (0.07%) had trigeminal neuralgia, 27 (0.05%) had NP postinjury, 27 (0.05%) had NP caused by nerve entrapments, 11 (0.02%) had NP triggered by systemic diseases, and 21 (0.04%) had NP of unknown etiology.</p><p>CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CPNP in this population of primary care attenders in a rural area in Northern Italy was 0.77%. Diabetes neuropathy (0.31%) and postherpetic pain (0.24%) were the two most common subgroups of NP, followed by trigeminal neuralgia (0.07%).</p>}},
  author       = {{Buono, Nicola and Thulesius, Hans and Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando and Castelli, Elena and Cambielli, Marco}},
  issn         = {{2249-4863}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{110--114}},
  publisher    = {{Wolters Kluwer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care}},
  title        = {{Postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and trigeminal neuralgia - Chronic peripheral neuropathic pain in 58,480 rural Italian primary care patients}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.214980}},
  doi          = {{10.4103/2249-4863.214980}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}