title: N-palmitoylethanolamide in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with lumbosciatica.
abstract: SUMMARY
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effectiveness of N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) in the treatment of neuropathic pain due to lumbosciatica.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with neuropathic pain were assigned to standard treatment plus PEA (600 mg/day) or standard treatment for 30 days. Changes in visual analog scale, and score on Oswestry Disability Index and SF-12® Health Survey were assessed at baseline and follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the 118 patients evaluated was 48.4 years, and 47 (40.9%) were women. In the group comparison, significantly larger improvements were seen in the PEA group for visual analog scale and the physical component of the SF-12 Health Survey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The addition of PEA to standard treatment shows an improvement in pain relief in patients with neuropathic pain due to lumbosciatica. PEA was well tolerated. Future investigations of the role of PEA in the treatment of neuropathic pain might help to define novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this kind of neuropathic pain.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Rincón, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: C Morera
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: A Díaz
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: F Garibo
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Ma Ibáñez
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Puertas
authors.forename: A Leal
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Muro
authors.forename: Jc Martí
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: J Pombo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: I Rosselló
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Taberna