Quality of Life in Painful Peripheral Neuropathies: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective. Neuropathic pain is a common presenting complaint of patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN) and is considered one of the most disabling neuropathic symptoms, with detrimental effects on patients’ quality of life (QoL). The aim of this review was to overview the current literature that focuses on QoL in painful PN of various aetiologies. We sought to clarify the direct effect of pain and its treatment on patients’ QoL. Methodology. A systematic computer-based literature search was conducted using the PubMed database to search for papers on QoL in painful PN. Information was extracted regarding prevalence, demographics, and response to treatment where relevant. Results. We identified 66 articles eligible for inclusion. The vast majority of studies (n=47) focused on patients with diabetic PN. Other aetiologies of painful PN where QoL has been studied to date include gluten, immune-mediated, HIV, chemotherapy-induced, and chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy. Pharmacological treatment is the mainstay in managing pain and has a direct positive and independent effect on the overall QoL. Other nonpharmacological approaches can also be of benefit, either alone or as adjuvant treatments, and are discussed. Conclusion. The findings demonstrate that QoL is impaired in painful PN and should not be neglected in clinical practice. Patients’ pain management and subsequent impact on QoL should routinely be assessed and monitored.

The impact of associated large-fiber peripheral neuropathy on health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease – results from a Romanian cohort

“…Chronic polyneuropathy, regardless of its aetiology, was found to affect all aspects of HrQoL when assessed by the Short Form-36 questionnaire and compared to healthy controls (37). Painful neuropathies were associated with poor HrQoL (38,39).…”

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“…Neuropathic functionality symptoms can be divided into sensory and motor. Sensory symptoms include pain, burning sensation, tingling sensation, numbness, tightness, and sensory ataxia [2]. On the other hand, motor symptoms include muscle cramps, stiffness, weakness, and wasting [2].…”

“…Sensory symptoms include pain, burning sensation, tingling sensation, numbness, tightness, and sensory ataxia [2]. On the other hand, motor symptoms include muscle cramps, stiffness, weakness, and wasting [2]. Neuropathic pain is prevalent, presenting in approximately two-thirds of patients with peripheral neuropathy and varies with the etiological cause; for example, malignancy-related neuropathic pain would be present in 41.3% of patients with cancer [2,3].…”

“…On the other hand, motor symptoms include muscle cramps, stiffness, weakness, and wasting [2]. Neuropathic pain is prevalent, presenting in approximately two-thirds of patients with peripheral neuropathy and varies with the etiological cause; for example, malignancy-related neuropathic pain would be present in 41.3% of patients with cancer [2,3]. The disability or non-functionality caused by peripheral neuropathy was found to correlate with a decrease in quality of life, and it has been demonstrated that painful peripheral neuropathy is associated with less quality of life [3].…”

“…The acquired form of the disease can be caused by physical injury, systemic or metabolic disorders (as diabetes), vitamin B-12 deficiency, chronic kidney disease, malignancy, infections (as leprosy), alcoholism, autoimmune disorders, exposure to toxic compounds, and ageing [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. On the other hand, the inherited form of peripheral neuropathy is a group of disorders commonly known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease [2,13].…”