A survey of patients with neuropathic pain at Siriraj Pain Clinic.

OBJECTIVE To examine the profile and treatment pattern of patients with neuropathic pain attending Siriraj Pain Clinic. MATERIAL AND METHOD A 2-year retrospective study of the prevalence of neuropathic pain, characteristics of the patients and the use of medical treatment. Records of all the patients that attended Siriraj Pain Clinic from September 1, 2002 until September 30, 2004 were reviewed. RESULTS One thousand three hundred and thirty patients' records were reviewed. Five hundred and three patients were diagnosed as having neuropathic pain. The prevalence of neuropathic pain at Siriraj Pain Clinic during the survey period was 37.8%. The average age of neuropathic pain patients was 54 years. The most common type of neuropathic pain was peripheral type, nerve compression in particular. The most common concomitant illness was malignant tumor. The majority of patients (71.8%) had one pain location and the most common site was the lower extremity. The main descriptions of neuropathic pain were radiating, electric shock-like, burning, numbing and shooting. Oral medication was the most common method (79%) of pain-relief treatment. Almost all of the patients (93%) had received more than one type of oral medication. The most commonly used medicine was TCA (77.1%), followed by gabapentin (35%), carbamazepine (34%) and tramadol (24.3%). Most of the pain-relief medicines prescribed at this clinic were under the recommended doses for the treatment of neuropathic pain. CONCLUSION Characteristics and treatment patterns of neuropathic pain at Siriraj Pain Clinic are similar to those seen in other pain clinics elsewhere in the world. The high prevalence of neuropathic pain in the clinic indicates that this type of pain syndrome is increasingly critical to our clinical practice. More educational programs on neuropathic pain and management are needed for Thai healthcare professionals.