Sensory profile and its impact on quality of life in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy

CONTEXT: Painful diabetic polyneuropathy (PDN) is common and causes significant disability. The sensory profile in each patient is different and affects quality of life. AIM: To describe the demographic, details of sensory profile and its impact on quality of life in patients with PDN. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey in patients with PDN who were treated in a University Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: They were interviewed with standard questionnaires, which included neuropathic pain scale (NPS), a short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and a short form-36 quality of life survey (SF-36). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics were used in demographic data. Student's t test was used to analyze continuous data. Multiple comparisons for proportions and correlations were made using Fisher Exact test and Pearson's coefficient of correlation, respectively. RESULTS: Thirty three patients were included in this study. In NPS, sharp pain was the most common symptom and itching was the least common. Almost all patients had more than one type of pain. The mean VAS was 53 mm. In SFMPQ, the sensory score, affective score and the present pain score fell in the moderate range. In SF-36, physical functioning was the most affected and social function was the least affected. CONCLUSIONS: PDN significantly affects patients’ quality of life, especially physical function and role limitation due to a physical problem. Almost all patients have many types of pain and sharp pain is the most common.