A longitudinal assessment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy on health status, productivity, and health care utilization and cost

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the health outcomes of patients suffering from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) over a 3-year period, relative to patients with diabetes but without neuropathic pain and controls.

Design: The current study included participants who completed three consecutive waves of the National Health and Wellness Survey (2006-2008). These participants were categorized into one of three groups: those with pDPN (N=290), those with diabetes but without pDPN ("diabetes without pDPN group"; N=1,037), and those not diagnosed with diabetes ("control group"; N=8,162).

Outcome measures: Health status (Short Form-12v2), work productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire), and resource use were examined with repeated-measures models adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.

Results: The pDPN group reported significantly lower levels of physical quality of life. Moreover, physical quality of life scores for the pDPN group decreased at a significantly faster rate over a 3-year period relative to other groups. In addition, the pDPN patients reported significantly higher levels of impairment of work productivity and activity, greater resource use, and higher total 3-year per-patient costs.

Conclusions: Confirming and expanding upon the literature, our results indicate a significantly worse trajectory of quality of life outcomes over time and long-term increased total costs for pDPN patients relative to non-pDPN diabetes patients and controls.