Pain in patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy.
OBJECTIVE
Pain in patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) has never been studied in detail. The aim of the study was to investigate the pain experienced by patients with CIAP, and to determine whether pain is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL).


METHODS
The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the RAND-36 were used in a cross-sectional study.


RESULTS
Sixty-three of 91 patients with CIAP reported experiencing pain, describing it as nagging (56%) and annoying (52%). Of these patients, 27 were classified in a subgroup with neuropathic pain (median VAS = 33 mm), 25 in a subgroup with non-neuropathic pain (median VAS = 34 mm), and 11 in a mixed-pain subgroup (median VAS = 25 mm). Non-neuropathic pain was as common and as painful as neuropathic pain. Pain was strongly associated with the physical functioning domain of the RAND-36 in patients in the mixed pain subgroup (r = -0.71, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain syndromes should be distinguished in patients with CIAP who experience pain, to enable appropriate tailoring of treatment.
Erdmann
Peter G
PG
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. p.erdmann@umcutrecht.nl
van Genderen
Frank R
FR
Teunissen
Laurien L
LL
Notermans
Nicolette C
NC
Lindeman
Eline
E
van Wijck
Albert J M
AJ
van Meeteren
Nico L U
NL
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000150:complications*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires