Kocaeli Med J. 2023; 12(2): 230-232 | DOI: 10.5505/ktd.2023.77992

Neuropathic Pain and Neurology Clinic: Single Center Data in Kocaeli Province Tertiary Care Hospital

Zeynep Ünlütürk
University Of Health Sciences Kocaeli Derince Training Hospital, Neurology Clinic, Kocaeli, Turkey

INTRODUCTION: The gold standard for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain is clinicians’ opinion, but inappropriate treatment methods are frequently encountered. In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence of neuropathic pain and which treatment methods were used in patients who applied to the neurology outpatient clinic.
METHODS: Five hundred-four outpatients who applied to the University of Health Sciences Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital Neurology Outpatient Clinic in January 2023 were included in the study. Neuropathic pain symptoms were questioned in all patients, and 45 patients with a DN4 score of 4 and above, a PainDETECT score of 13 and above were accepted as patients with neuropathic pain. The prevalence of neuropathic pain was detected; the demographic data of the patients, diagnosis and the treatments they used were compared.

RESULTS: In this study, the prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients who applied to the neurology outpatient clinic was found to be 8.9%. The most common causes of neuropathic pain were diabetic neuropathy and discopathy/radiculopathy. While 35.6% of the patients did not use any medication for neuropathic pain, the most commonly used drug was pregabalin.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The prevalence found in this study was consistent with the literature. The number of patients with ineffective/inappropriate treatment was small. It was thought that the high pain score in patients that using neuropathic pain medication may be due to inappropriate treatment doses.

Keywords: neuropathic pain, pregabalin, diabetic neuropathy.

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Nöroloji Kliniði ve Nöropatik Aðrý: Kocaeli Ýli Üçüncü Basamak Hastane Tek Merkez Verileri

Zeynep Ünlütürk
Saðlýk Bilimleri Üniversitesi Kocaeli Derince Eðitim ve Araþtýrma Hastanesi, Nöroloji Kliniði, Kocaeli, Türkiye

GÝRÝÞ ve AMAÇ: Nöropatik aðrý tanýsýnda klinisyen görüþü altýn standarttýr ancak uygunsuz tedavi yöntemleri ile sýkça karþýlaþýlýr. Bu çalýþmada nöroloji polikliniðine baþvuran hastalarda nöropatik aðrý sýklýðýnýn ne kadar olduðu ve hangi tedavi yöntemlerinin kullanýldýðýnýn belirlenmesi amaçlanmýþtýr.

YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: Çalýþmaya 2023 yýlý Ocak ayýnda Saðlýk Bilimleri Üniversitesi Kocaeli Derince Eðitim ve Araþtýrma Hastanesi nöroloji polikliniðine ayaktan baþvuran 504 hasta alýnmýþtýr. Tüm hastalarda nöropatik aðrý semptomlarý sorgulanmýþ, DN4 skoru 4, PainDETECT skoru 13 ve üzeri olan 45 hasta nöropatik aðrýlý hasta kabul edilmiþtir. Bu þekilde nöropatik aðrý sýklýðý hesaplanmýþ, hastalarýn demografik verileri, tanýlarý ve kullandýklarý tedaviler karþýlaþtýrýlmýþtýr.

BULGULAR: Bu çalýþmada nöroloji polikliniðine baþvuran hastalarda nöropatik aðrý prevalansý %8,9 bulundu. En sýk nöropatik aðrý nedeni diyabetik nöropati ve diskopati/radikülopatiydi. Hastalarýn %35,6’sý nöropatik aðrý için herhangi bir ilaç kullanmazken en sýk kullanýlan ilaç pregabalindi.

TARTIÞMA ve SONUÇ: Çalýþma verilerinde saptanan prevalans literatür ile uyumluydu. Etkisiz/uygunsuz tedavi alan hasta sayýsý azdý. Nöropatik aðrý tedavisi alan hastalarda aðrý skorunun yüksekliðinin tedavi dozlarýnýn yetersiz olmasýna baðlý olabileceði düþünüldü.

Anahtar Kelimeler: nöropatik aðrý, pregabalin, diyabetik nöropati.

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