Patients with longer diabetes duration and higher glycemic exposure have a greater risk of developing distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSPN), according to study findings published in Diabetes Care.  Although diabetic DSPN is associated with a high risk for morbidity, limited treatments exist for this condition. Previous research findings suggest that improved glycemic control can lower a patient’s risk of developing DSPN. To evaluate the effects of diabetes interventions on preventing DSPN, researchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study ..read more

HealthDay News — For patients with lower-extremity painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), nerve decompression is associated with reduced pain, although these effects may be partly due to a placebo effect, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Annals of Surgery. Shai M. Rozen, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the effect of nerve decompression on pain in patients with lower-extremity painful DPN. Patients aged 18 to 80 years with lower-extremity painful DPN were randomly assigned to receive nerve decompression ..read more

HealthDay News — Intrathecal gene transfer with scAAV9/JeT-GAN may result in some benefit for children with giant axonal neuropathy, according to a study published in the March 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Diana X. Bharucha-Goebel, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted an intrathecal dose-escalation study of scAAV9/JeT-GAN in children with giant axonal neuropathy. Fourteen participants received one of four intrathecal doses of scAAV9/JeT-GAN: 3.5 x 1013 total vector genomes (vg); 1.2 x 1014 vg; 1.8 x 1014 vg; and 3.5 x ..read more

In patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), motor imagery reduced pain intensity and disability, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Pain Practice. During motor imagery, an action is rehearsed mentally without movement. This form of therapy has shown promising results in the treatment of CRPS. Researchers have hypothesized that motor imagery treats CRPS by activating cortical areas in a way that leads to cortical reorganization and reduction of pain. Available evidence, however, has been insufficient to support recommendation of motor imagery ..read more

Neuropathic pain presents frequently and without clinical signs of neuropathy among individuals with type 1 diabetes, according to study findings published in Diabetes Care. Despite advancements in diabetic care, diabetic peripheral neuropathy persists at rates as high as 30% among individuals with diabetes. Moreover, data on neuropathic pain within the diabetes community remain scarce. To elucidate the phenotypes and risk factors associated with neuropathic pain among individuals with type 1 diabetes, researchers sourced data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT; ClinicalTr ..read more

HealthDay News — For patients with neuropathic pain, a high-concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP) is effective for reducing pain intensity, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in Pain Practice. Kai-Uwe Kern, M.D., from the Institute of Pain Medicine/Pain Practice in Wiesbaden, Germany, and colleagues collected data from electronic medical records of patients who received at least two HCCP treatments between January 2011 and July 2022 to examine patient characteristics, concomitant analgesic medication, and pain intensity. The study included 97 patients, most of whom were diagnosed with ..read more

HealthDay News — Pretreatment vitamin D insufficiency is associated with an increased incidence of grade ≥3 chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) from paclitaxel, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Ciao-Sin Chen, Pharm.D., Ph.D., from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used data and samples from the prospective phase III SWOG S0221 trial that compared paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy regimens for early-stage breast cancer to validate vitamin D insufficiency as a ..read more

Neuropathic back-related leg pain is not always persistent, according to a study published in The Journal of Pain. Neuropathic pain (NP) resulting from nerve damage is assumed to be irreversible, and symptoms have been thought to be persistent. Leg pain related to back pain (LBLP) is diagnosed as either sciatica or referred leg pain. Sciatica is considered neuropathic, but patients often seek management via their primary care provider. Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of people with neuropathic LBLP recruited between April 2011 and March 2013 to a prospective, multicenter cohort stud ..read more

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), vitamin D, and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) show promise for managing diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), but there is no evidence supporting the use of supplements for managing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), according to a study published in Pain Practice. Current pharmacologic treatments for managing neuropathic pain are often poorly tolerated and ineffective. Thus, dietary interventions, vitamins, and nutritional supplementation are increasingly important in pain management. Researchers conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of th ..read more

To characterize placebo and nocebo responses in placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials of oral drug treatments for painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), an international team of researchers conducted a systematic review of the medical literature and a meta-analysis of the data it contained and published their findings in Pain. The researchers searched 4 databases for trials with a parallel-group design of oral drugs for PDN published in the last 20 years and evaluated the magnitude of the placebo or nocebo responses, Cochrane risk of bias, heterogeneity, and moderators of the 21 trials the ..read more