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. 2023 Apr;37(4):108417.
doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2023.108417. Epub 2023 Feb 10.

Diagnosis, management and impact of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A patient survey in four European countries

Solomon Tesfaye  1 , Silviu Brill  2 , Mariëlle Eerdekens  3 , Mercedes Maderuelo Labrador  4 , Gudula Petersen  3 , Angela de Rooij Peek  5 , Ainhoa Reta  6 , Deirdre Ryan  7 , Nicolaas Schaper  8 , Thomas Tölle  9 , Andrea Truini  10 , Dan Ziegler  11
Affiliations

Diagnosis, management and impact of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A patient survey in four European countries

Solomon Tesfaye et al. J Diabetes Complications. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess patient perspectives and experiences of the impact of neuropathic pain, painful diabetic neuropathy (pDPN) diagnosis and treatment, and the patient-healthcare professional (HCP) relationship.

Methods: We conducted a quantitative online survey in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK among adults with diabetes who responded "yes" to at least four of ten questions of in the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4) questionnaire.

Results: Of 3626 respondents, 576 met the eligibility criteria. Daily pain was rated as moderate or severe by 79 % of respondents. Most participants reported a negative impact of their pain on sleep (74 %), mood (71 %), exercise (69 %), concentration (64 %) and daily activities (62 %), and 75 % of those in employment had missed work because of their pain in the past year. Overall, 22 % of respondents avoided discussing pain with their HCP, 50 % had not received formal pDPN diagnosis, and 56 % had not used prescribed pain medications. Although two-thirds (67 %) of respondents reported feeling satisfied or very satisfied with treatment, 82 % of these patients still experienced daily moderate or severe pain.

Conclusions: Neuropathic pain in people with diabetes affects daily life and remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in clinical practice.

Keywords: Diabetes complications; Diabetic neuropathies; Pain; Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Surveys and questionnaires.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest Mariëlle Eerdekens is employed by Grünenthal GmbH. Solomon Tesfaye has received consultancy fees and payment or honoraria from Grünenthal GmBH. Ainhoa Reta has received payment or honoraria, and support for attending meetings and/or travel from Grünenthal GmBH. Gudula Petersen is employed by Grünenthal GmbH. Nicolaas Schaper has received payment or honoraria from Grünenthal GmBH. Thomas Tölle has received consultancy fees from AOP Orpha, Lilly, Grünenthal GmBH, Pfizer, Almiral Hermal, Medscape, Hexal, Recordati Pharma, Bionest Partners, MSD, Indivior, Sanofi-Avetis, Benkitt Renkiser, Novartis, Kaia Health and TAD Pharma. Andrea Truini has received consultancy fees from Angelini, Viatris and Grünenthal GmbH. Dan Ziegler has received consultancy fees from Biogen, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Wörwag, Pfizer, Allergan, Berlin-Chemie, Viatris, Novartis, Novaremed, Takeda, Mundipharma, Bayer, Grünenthal GmBH, Nevro, Procter & Gamble, Clexio, Pathways Public Health, Cannaxan and Stada, and payment or honoraria from Wörwag, Pfizer, Takeda, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Viatris, Berlin-Chemie, Mundipharma and Sanofi. All other authors have no competing interests to declare.

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