Which scale is more useful to detect diabetic neuropathic pain?: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common causes of neuropathic pain. LANSS, sLANSS, DN4 and painDETECT are scales which are commonly used worldwide. There are not many studies comparing these screening tools in specific neuropathic pain subgroups. The aim of this study is to compare the utilities of LANSS, sLANSS, DN4 and PainDETECT for the diagnosis of diabetic neuropathic pain. METHODS: One hundred-one individuals without diabetic neuropathic pain were included in control group, 102 patients with diabetic neuropathic pain to DNP group. LANSS, sLANSS, DN4 and painDETECT scores of the groups were compared. RESULTS: The difference between the groups was significant for all questionnaires and for all questions/titles they included. DN4 had the highest sensitivity and painDETECT had the highest specificity. CONCLUSIONS: All questionnaires seemed to be useful for detecting diabetic neuropathic pain. DN4 had a high specificity and sensitivity. PainDETECT, also had a high sensitivity and specificity when cut off value was accepted more than 12.