Symptom profiles in the painDETECT Questionnaire in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain stratified according to sensory loss in quantitative sensory testing.
The painDETECT Questionnaire (PDQ) is commonly used as a screening tool to discriminate between neuropathic pain (NP) and nociceptive pain, based on the self-report of symptoms, including pain qualities, numbness, and pain to touch, cold, or heat. However, there are minimal data about whether the PDQ is differentially sensitive to different sensory phenotypes in NP. The aim of the study was to analyze whether the overall PDQ score or its items reflect phenotypes of sensory loss in NP as determined by quantitative sensory testing. An exploratory analysis in the Innovative Medicines Initiative Europain and Neuropain database was performed. Data records of 336 patients identified with NP were grouped into sensory profiles characterized by (1) no loss of sensation, (2) loss of thermal sensation, (3) loss of mechanical sensation, and (4) loss of thermal and mechanical sensation. painDETECT Questionnaire profiles were analyzed in a 2-factor analysis of variance. Patients with loss of thermal sensation (2 and 4) significantly more often reported pain evoked by light touch, and patients with loss of mechanical sensation (3 and 4) significantly more often reported numbness and significantly less often burning sensations and pain evoked by light touch. Although the PDQ was not designed to assess sensory loss, single items reflect thermal and/or mechanical sensory loss at group level, but because of substantial variability, the PDQ does not allow for individual allocation of patients into sensory profiles. It will be useful to develop screening tools according to the current definition of NP.
Department of Pain Medicine, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil GmbH, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.|Center of Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jan
J
Vollert
Department of Pain Medicine, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil GmbH, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.
Martin
M
Kramer
Department of Surgery and Cancer, Pain Research, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.|Pain Treatment Unit, Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Therapy, Hospital Regional Universitario de Malaga, Malaga, Spain.
Alejandro
A
Barroso
Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Pain Therapy & Palliative Care, Pain Center Lake Starnberg, Benedictus Hospital, Tutzing, Germany.|Department of Anaesthesiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Rainer
R
Freynhagen
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Helsinki, Finland.
Maija
M
Haanpää
Department of Pain Management and Research, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Per
P
Hansson
Department of Neurology, Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Troels S
TS
Jensen
Department of Surgery and Cancer, Pain Research, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.|Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Fdn Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Bianca M
BM
Kuehler
Department of Pain Medicine, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil GmbH, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.
Christoph
C
Maier
Department of Pain Medicine, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil GmbH, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany.|Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Tina
T
Mainka
Division of Neurological Pain Research and Therapy, Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany.
Maren
M
Reimer
H. Lundbeck A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Märta
M
Segerdahl
Neuroscience Technologies, Ltd, Barcelona, Spain.
Jordi
J
Serra
Neuroscience Technologies, Ltd, Barcelona, Spain.
Romà
R
Solà
Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Thomas R
TR
Tölle
Center of Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
Rolf-Detlef
RD
Treede
Division of Neurological Pain Research and Therapy, Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany.
Ralf
R
Baron
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology