Originally published by 2 Minute Medicine^® (view original article). Reused on AccessMedicine with permission.

1. Neuropathic pain in diabetic polyneuropathy is dynamic over time, with distinct clinical and sensory predictors associated with both its development and resolution.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Neuropathic pain in diabetic polyneuropathy (P-DPN) remains poorly characterized in longitudinal research. This 5-year prospective study investigated the progression and predictors of neuropathic pain among 102 patients with at least probable diabetic polyneuropathy at baseline, selected from a larger Danish cohort of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients. Comprehensive assessments—including bedside sensory testing, quantitative sensory testing (QST), skin biopsies, and nerve conduction studies—were performed at both baseline and follow-up. Over the study period, the prevalence of probable P-DPN rose from 11.5% to 14.8%. Among patients with nonpainful DPN at baseline, 38.2% developed neuropathic pain, while 28.9% of those with pain at baseline reported relief at follow-up. Baseline dysesthesia significantly predicted pain development, especially in women, and was linked to diminished warm detection and lower sural sensory nerve action potentials. Conversely, pain resolution correlated with lower BMI and cholesterol, and greater baseline sensitivity to cold, mechanical, and vibratory stimuli. These findings highlight specific clinical and neurophysiological markers associated with both onset and relief of neuropathic pain in type 2 diabetes.

Click to read the study in Pain

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