Table 2.
Bivariate comparison of patients’ characteristics across levels of certainty of neuropathic pain diagnosis
| Demographics | CNP (N=53)
|
PNP (N=281)
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level of certainty of CNP diagnosis
|
Raw OR (95% CI)a
|
Level of certainty of PNP diagnosis
|
Raw OR (95% CI)a
|
|||||
| Def (N=43)b |
Pos–Pro (N=10)b |
(Def/Pos–Pro) | p | Def (N=208)b |
Pos–Pro (N=73)b |
(Def/Pos–Pro) | p | |
| Sex (being female) [n (%)] | 25 (58.1) | 8 (80.0) | 0.35 (0.07–1.83) | 0.356 | n=204 | n=73 | 0.68 (0.39–1.21) | 0.191 |
| 125 (61.3) | 51 (69.9) | |||||||
| Current age (years) [mean (SD)] | 59.7 (15.9) | 57.5 (16.1) | – | 0.641c | n=207 | 59.5 (14.1) | – | 0.061c |
| 55.6 (15.8) | ||||||||
| Ethnicity (being of Caucasian origin) [n (%)] | 31 (72.1) | 7 (70.0) | 1.11 (0.25–5.00) | 0.895 | n=208 | n=72 | 1.62 (0.81–3.24) | 0.166 |
| 179 (86.1) | 57 (79.2) | |||||||
| Work status (being retired vs. any other) | 17 (39.5) | 4 (40.0) | 0.98 (0.24–4.00) | 0.978 | n=208 | n=72 | 0.99 (0.57–1.75) | 0.987 |
| [n (%)] | 72 (34.6) | 25 (34.7) | ||||||
| Work status (being active vs. any other) | 8 (18.6) | 4 (40.0) | 0.34 (0.08–1.51) | 0.300 | n=208 | n=72 | 0.97 (0.56–1.71) | 0.928 |
| [n (%)] | 71 (34.1) | 25 (34.7) | ||||||
| Administrative data | ||||||||
| Type of contact (initial vs. follow-up) | n=41 | 3 (30.0) | 1.17 (0.26–5.94) | 0.841 | n=202 | n=71 | 0.78 (0.42–1.46) | 0.439 |
| [n initial (%)] | 11 (26.8) | 58 (28.7) | 17 (23.9) | |||||
| Referral: | ||||||||
| From Primary Care vs. other [n Primary | 3 (7.0) | n=9 | 0.26 (0.04–1.87) | 0.430 | n=206 | n=73 | 0.92 (0.47–1.83) | 0.817 |
| Care (%)] | 2 (22.2) | 37 (18.0) | 14 (19.2) | |||||
| From Traumatology vs. other | n=40 | n=7 | 0.0 | 0.404 | n=169 | n=59 | 1.80 (0.90–3.60) | 0.094 |
| [n Traumatology (%)] | 8 (20.0) | 3(42.9) | 33(0.06–1.80) | 57 (33.7) | 13 (22.0) | |||
| From Neurology/Neurosurgery vs. other | n=7 | n=7 | 8.12 (0.89–73.84) | 0.089 | n=169 | n=59 | 1.52 (0.71–3.27) | 0.283 |
| [n Neurology (%)] | 23 (57.5) | 1 (14.3) | 40 (23.7) | 10 (16.9) | ||||
| Clinical data | ||||||||
| Pain topography: head-column-trunk [n (%)] | 26 (65.0) | 6 (60.0) | 1.24 (0.28–5.12) | 0.768 | n=174 | n=63 | 1.25 (0.65–2.41) | 0.500 |
| 52 (29.9) | 16 (25.4) | |||||||
| Pain topography: upper limbs [n (%)] | n=40 | 1 (10.0) | 8.14 (0.92–70.41) | 0.071 | n=174 | n=63 | 2.02 (1.00–4.08) | 0.048 |
| 19 (47.5) | 56 (32.2) | 12 (19.0) | ||||||
| Pain topography: lower limbs [n (%)] | n=40 | 2 (20.0) | 5.41 (1.02–28.79) | 0.034 | n=174 | n=63 | 0.46 (0.26–0.82) | 0.008 |
| 23 (57.5) | 66 (37.9) | 36 (57.1) | ||||||
| Pain topography: other [n (%)] | n=40 | 1 (10.0) | – | – | n=174 | n=63 | 0.90 (0.27–2.98) | 0.862 |
| 0 (0.0) | 10 (4.2) | 4 (6.3) | ||||||
| Duration of pain symptoms (years) | n=32 | n=7 | – | 0.730d | n=157 | n=58 | – | 0.329d |
| [mean (SD)] | 5.4 (7.1) | 6.4 (8.3) | 3.8 (4.8) | 4.78 (6.5) | ||||
| Current pain intensity (cm in VAS) | 6.6 (1.9) | 5.8 (1.9) | – | 0.206c | n=206 | n=72 | – | 0.518d |
| [mean (SD)] | 6.3 (2.1) | 6.5 (2.2) | ||||||
| Comorbid depression [n (%)] | n=41 | n=8 | 0.81 (0.14–4.57) | 0.807 | n=174 | n=62 | 1.23 (0.68–2.22) | 0.497 |
| 29 (70.7) | 6 (75.0) | 76 (43.7) | 24 (38.7) | |||||
| Comorbid anxiety [n (%)] | n=41 | n=8 | 0.35 (0.06–1.94) | 0.396 | n=174 | n=62 | 0.84 (0.47–1.51) | 0.564 |
| 21 (51.2) | 6 (75.0) | 88 (50.6) | 34 (54.8) | |||||
| Comorbid sleep disorders [n (%)] | n=41 | n=8 | 3.10 (0.65–14.73) | 0.299 | n=174 | n=62 | 0.71 (0.39–1.29) | 0.261 |
| 31 (75.6) | 4 (50.0) | 98 (56.3) | 40 (64.5) | |||||
| Other comorbidities [n (%)] | n=41 | n=8 | – | – | n=174 | n=62 | 0.81 (0.35–1.87) | 0.619 |
| 6 (14.6) | 0 (0) | 21 (12.1) | 9 (14.5) | |||||
| Adequate treatment for pain [n (%)] | 24 (55.8) | 4 (40.0) | 1.89 (0.47–7.69) | 0.582 | n=192 | n=70 | 1.41 (0.80–2.46) | 0.232 |
| 90 (46.9) | 27 (38.6) | |||||||
| Current health status (EuroQol-5D) | 44.1 (21.7) | 39.3 (20.0) | – | 0.524c | n=204 | n=71 | – | 0.315d |
| [mean (SD)] | 53.3 (20.7) | 49.8 (24.4) | ||||||
Notes:
a
OR higher and lower than 1 indicate, respectively, greater and smaller probability of a definite diagnosis of neuropathic pain in the category cited (for example, for females with regard to males).
b
Percentages are calculated using the available cases for each variable (usually less than the total number of cases, N). Mantel–Haenszel test for qualitative variables.
c
Student’s t-test.
d
Mann–Whitney U test.
Abbreviations: CNP, central neuropathic pain; Def, definite; OR, odds ratio; PNP, peripheral neuropathic pain; Pos, possible; Pro, probable; VAS, visual analog scale.