Burden of illness in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: the patients' perspectives.
Our goal was to assess the patient-level burden among subjects with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Community-based physicians recruited patients with painful DPN (N = 255) between April and October 2003. Patients completed a survey on pain experience (Brief Pain Inventory-DPN [BPI-DPN]), health status (EuroQoL [EQ-5D]), healthcare utilization (consults, prescription [Rx], and over-the-counter [OTC] medications), and work productivity/functioning. Patients were 61 +/- 12.8 years old and had diabetes for 12 +/- 10.3 years and painful DPN for 6.4 +/- 6.4 years; 25.5 and 62.7% had other neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain conditions. Average and worst pain scores (BPI-DPN, 0-10 scales) were 5.0 +/- 2.5 and 5.6 +/- 2.8. The mean EQ-5D utility was .5 +/- .3 (range = -.594-1). A majority (87.4%) took pain medications (Rx/OTC) in the preceding week: an average of 3.8 +/- 3.9 Rx and 2.1 +/- 1.3 OTC medications. Nearly half (46.7%) received NSAIDs. Other frequently reported medications were short/long-acting opioids (43.1%), anticonvulsants (27.1%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (18%), and tricyclic antidepressants (11.4%). During the preceding 3 months, 59.6% had >or=2 health professional consults; 59% reported decreased home productivity; 85.5% reported activity limitations; and 64.4% of patients who worked (N = 73) reported missing work/decreased work productivity due to painful DPN. Our results underscore a substantial patient-level burden among subjects with painful DPN.


CONCLUSIONS
Information on the patient-level burden among painful DPN sufferers in the U.S. was previously lacking. Our results suggest that this burden is significant, evidenced by moderate-to-high pain levels, polypharmacy, health resource use, and work/activity limitations. Results also suggest suboptimal pain management and low levels of satisfaction with treatments.
Gore
Mugdha
M
Avalon Health Solutions, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA. mgore@avalonhealthsolutions.com
Brandenburg
Nancy A
NA
Hoffman
Deborah L
DL
Tai
Kei-Sing
KS
Stacey
Brett
B
D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires