Pregabalin in the Treatment of Peripheral and Central Chronic Neuropathic Pain

BACKGROUND: Pregabalin is a first-line therapy of pain with additional positive effects on the states of depression and anxiety that often occur in patients with chronic pain, thus improving their quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of pregabalin in reducing neuropathic pain and improving quality of life in patients with peripheral and central chronic neuropathic pain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, the aim was to monitor the safety of therapy with pregabalin. METHODS: The study included patients with neuropathic pain lasting more than 3 months. Based on the underlying disease, patients were divided into 5 groups: DM–patients with diabetes mellitus, M–patients after stroke, D–patients with lower back pain, MS–patients with multiple sclerosis, and P group–patients with spinal cord injury. During the baseline visit, the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) was used to assess neuropathic pain. During two follow-up visits (1.5 and 3 months after baseline), the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF 36) was used to assess the effectiveness of therapy on quality of life. The safety of the treatment was evaluated by monitoring the incidence of adverse drug reactions. RESULTS: The study included 125 patients. During treatment with pregabalin, there was a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity in the DM, M, D and MS groups. In group P, the decrease in pain intensity was not statistically significant (p = 0.070). There was a significant improvement in different parameters of the quality of life in all analyzed groups, with the most prominent effects in the DM group. The effectiveness of treatment was rated as “good” and “very good” in more than 70% of subjects in each group. The expected side effects of treatment were recorded in 27.1% of patients in the DM group, in 20.0% in the M group and in 22.2% in the MS group. Unexpected side effects of treatment were observed in one patient (2.1%) in the DM group. Assessment of tolerability of the applied treatment showed “good” and “very good” response in 68.7% of patients in DM group, 73.3% in M group, 74.5% in D group, 88.9% in MS group and 85.8% in P group. CONCLUSION: Pregabalin is a safe and effective drug in treatment of neuropathic pain of different etiology.