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. 2023 Feb 7;12(4):1324.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12041324.

The Relationship between Numbness and Quality of Life

Shuhei Nagai  1 , Hidemi Niwa  1 , Yuki Terajima  1 , Hiroki Igari  1 , Young-Chang P Arai  1 , Toshihiko Yamashita  2 , Toshihiko Taguchi  3 , Masaya Nakamura  4 , Takahiro Ushida  1
Affiliations

The Relationship between Numbness and Quality of Life

Shuhei Nagai et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Numbness is a term commonly used in clinical practice to describe an abnormal sensory experience that is produced by a stimulus or is present even without a stimulus. However, there is still much that remains obscure in this field, and also, few reports have focused on its symptoms. In addition, while pain itself is known to have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL), the relationship between numbness and QOL is often unclear. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological survey and analyzed the relationship between painless numbness and QOL, using type, location, and age as influencing factors, respectively.

Methods: A nationwide epidemiological survey was conducted by mail using a survey panel designed by the Nippon Research Center. Questionnaires were sent to 10,000 randomly selected people aged 18 and over from all over Japan. Out of the 5682 people who responded, the relationship between numbness and QOL was analyzed using the EuroQol 5 Dimension-3L (EQ5D-3L) for patients who are currently experiencing painless numbness.

Findings: The results suggest that painless numbness affects QOL and that QOL decreases as its intensity increases. Furthermore, the two factors of numbness of feet and numbness among the young may be less likely to affect QOL. This study may be of great significance in the field of numbness research.

Keywords: numbness; painless; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
The relationship was graphed with age on the horizontal axis and prevalence on the vertical axis. The bars indicate the percentage of each type of numbness (spontaneous, evoked, and other).
Figure A2
Figure A2
Prevalence of numbness by site.
Figure 1
Figure 1
EQ5D is on the vertical axis and numbness intensity is on the horizontal axis (low (n = 214), moderate (n = 457), high (n = 95)). The graph shows the mean and standard deviation (95%CD of EQ5D in each group (p < 0.001 ***).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Each type of numbness was analyzed separately as Spontaneous and Evoked. EQ5D is on the vertical axis, and the intensity of numbness is on the horizontal axis. The graph shows the mean and standard deviation (95%CI) of EQ5D in each group (p < 0.01 **, <0.001 ***).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Each site of numbness was analyzed separately as foot, hand, and other areas. EQ5D is on the vertical axis, and the intensity of numbness is on the horizontal axis. The graph shows the mean and standard deviation (95%CI) of EQ5D in each group (p < 0.05 *, < 0.01 **, < 0.001 ***).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The analysis was divided by age group into 39 years or younger, 39–69 years, and 70 years or older. EQ5D is on the vertical axis, and numbness intensity is on the horizontal axis. The graph shows the mean and standard deviation (95%CI) of EQ5D in each group. (p < 0.05 *, < 0.001 ***).
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