How Many Suffer Needlessly From Neuropathic Pain?

Today's post from victoryoverpain.com (see link below) highlights a problem that many neuropathy patients will have faced and that is the inordinate amount of time it takes to establish a diagnosis of their condition! For the vast majority of people with the most common neuropathic symptoms, their story should be enough to at least result in a preliminary diagnosis of neuropathy. The symptoms are very clear and often unique to nerve damage but unfortunately people are having to go through disbelief, doubt and unnecessary tests before they can begin the necessary treatment to control the symptoms. That in itself, can take years before the right treatment is found, so putting people's minds at ease by letting them at least know that nerve damage is at the root of their problems, is an important step in helping people cope with it. It's almost unbelievable that in 2014, so many people have never heard of neuropathy, including a number of doctors who fail to recognise the symptoms and put too much store on establishing the cause rather than treating the symptoms.

Survey Finds Many Suffering Needlessly from Neuropathic Pain

by Pat Anson
 
A national survey of peripheral neuropathy patients found that over half took at least two years before they received the right diagnosis from their doctors. Many also receive inadequate pain care and go through distressing life changes.

Peripheral neuropathy affects over 20 million Americans, making it one of the most common chronic diseases and a leading cause of adult disability. Neuropathy results from injury to the peripheral nerves, which disrupts the body's ability to communicate with muscles, organs, and tissues. With early diagnosis, symptoms can often be controlled. A delay in diagnosis and treatment could lead to loss of sensation, weakness, chronic pain, and disability.

The Neuropathy Association surveyed nearly two thousand patients, asking them about the length of time between the first onset of symptoms and a confirmed diagnosis of neuropathy. Fifty seven percent waited two or more years before getting the right diagnosis. Nearly one-third were receiving no treatment for their pain.

"While early intervention and treatment can be critical to slowing disease progression, our biggest challenge is many Americans still do not know about neuropathy, are unaware they have it, and do not recognize warning signs. Too often neuropathy is discovered after irreversible nerve damage has occurred." said Dr. Thomas H. Brannagan, III, medical advisor for The Neuropathy Association.

Nearly half (49%) of the patients were told their neuropathy is "idiopathic" -- of an unknown cause. Fifteen percent of those surveyed have diabetic neuropathy, the second most common cause. Other types of neuropathy can be caused by accident or trauma, cancer, chemotherapy, toxins, infectious disease and HIV/AIDS. There are over 100 known forms of neuropathy.

"Neuropathy is often misrepresented as only being diabetes-related. We know that diabetic neuropathy typically represents a third of the neuropathy patient community; yet, close to half of the patients receive an idiopathic neuropathy diagnosis. This survey supports the fact that confirming a diagnosis, when possible, requires physicians and patients working in partnership for a thorough evaluation to identify the possible source of the nerve damage," says Brannagan.

The survey found a wide range of treatments being used for neuropathy, with many patients using multiple therapies to control their symptoms. 

66% Use pain medications such as pregabalin, gabapentin, duloxetine and opioids.
29.9% Receive no treatment for pain.
22.7% Use complementary therapies such as vitamins, acupuncture and TENS units.
16.5% Use topical pain relievers such as lidocaine or capsaicin.
10.5% Receive physical therapy or occupational therapy.
4.6% Receive intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapherisis.
4.1% Interventional therapies such as local anesthetic blocks and spinal neurostimulators.

This week is the eighth annual Neuropathy Awareness Week, an event launched by the Association to promote greater attention to and prevention of neuropathy.

"With the potential for millions of Americans to suffer from neuropathy's progressive chronic pain and disability, the U.S. is currently unprepared to face a major public health crisis if healthcare providers, the media, and public policy officials continue to ignore the inadequacy of medical resources and research funding for neuropathy," said Tina Tockarshewsky, president and CEO of The Neuropathy Association.

http://www.victoryoverpain.com/articles/neuropathic-pain.html