Di Stefano Giulia, Di Lionardo Andrea, Di Pietro Giuseppe, Truini Andrea
Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Università, 30-00185 Rome, Italy.
Brain Sci. 2020 Dec 22;11(1):1. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11010001.
Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system. Neuropathic pain represents a broad category of pain conditions, common complications of peripheral neuropathies, which are characterized by a combination of positive symptoms, including paresthesia and/or dysesthesia and sensory deficits in the painful area. In the present paper, we aimed to assess neuropathic pain frequency and clinical characteristics of peripheral neuropathies due to different aetiologies according to grading system criteria of the International Association for the Study of Pain for a definitive diagnosis of neuropathic pain. Epidemiological studies applying these criteria have been conducted in patients with diabetes, brachial plexus injury, and other traumatic nerve injuries. Neuropathic pain was diagnosed in 37-42% of patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, 56% of patients with brachial plexus injury, and 22% of patients with intercostobrachial neuropathy. The most frequent neuropathic pain type was ongoing pain (described as burning or pressing), followed by paroxysmal pain (electric shock-like sensations) and allodynia (pain evoked by brushing and pressure). By providing information on the frequency, clinical signs, and variables associated with neuropathic pain due to different aetiologies, these studies contribute to improving the clinical management of this condition.
神经病理性疼痛被定义为由躯体感觉系统的损伤或疾病引起的疼痛。神经病理性疼痛代表了一大类疼痛情况，是周围神经病变的常见并发症，其特征是存在多种阳性症状，包括感觉异常和/或感觉迟钝，以及疼痛区域的感觉缺陷。在本文中，我们旨在根据国际疼痛研究协会用于明确诊断神经病理性疼痛的分级系统标准，评估不同病因所致周围神经病变的神经病理性疼痛发生率及临床特征。应用这些标准的流行病学研究已在糖尿病患者、臂丛神经损伤患者及其他创伤性神经损伤患者中开展。在37% - 42%的糖尿病性周围神经病变患者、56%的臂丛神经损伤患者及22%的肋间臂神经病变患者中诊断出神经病理性疼痛。最常见的神经病理性疼痛类型是持续性疼痛（描述为灼痛或压痛），其次是阵发性疼痛（电击样感觉）和痛觉过敏（由轻触和压力诱发的疼痛）。通过提供不同病因所致神经病理性疼痛的发生率、临床体征及相关变量的信息，这些研究有助于改善对该病症的临床管理。
