Health status, function, productivity, and costs among individuals with idiopathic painful peripheral neuropathy with small fiber involvement in the United States: results from a retrospective chart review and cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the burden of idiopathic painful peripheral neuropathy with small fiber involvement (idiopathic SFN) by pain severity in the US.

METHODS

One hundred previously diagnosed idiopathic SFN subjects were enrolled during routine office visits. Subjects completed a one-time questionnaire, and investigators reported clinical characteristics and healthcare resource use, based on 6 month retrospective chart review. Annualized direct and indirect costs were estimated. Results were stratified across pain severity groups.

RESULTS

Mean age was 63.5 years; 53.0% were female; 76.0% had moderate or severe pain. Most common comorbidities were sleep disturbance/insomnia (37.0%), anxiety (34.0%), and depressive symptoms (33.0%). Overall mean health status (0.59; -0.11-1.00 scale), physical and mental health (31.7 and 45.6, respectively, 0-100 scale), sleep index (45.1; 0-100 scale), and pain interference with function (5.0; 0-10 scale) differed by pain severity, with worse outcomes among those with greater pain (all p < 0.002). 84.0% were prescribed ≥1 SFN medication. 16.0% were employed; mean overall work impairment was 36.9%. Annualized average adjusted direct and indirect costs per subject ($8055 and $13,733, respectively) differed by pain severity.

CONCLUSIONS

Idiopathic SFN subjects with pain experience moderate or severe pain, which negatively impacts health status, function, and productivity, and leads to substantial direct and indirect costs.