02996nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001653001900042653001200061653002100073653001500094653001200109653002000121100001400141700001600155700001400171700001600185700001700201700001500218700001000233700001400243700001600257700001500273245012400288856011100412300000800523520217500531       2018                            d10aCandidate drug10aleprosy10aneuropathic pain10aNeuropathy10aSymptom10aSymptom profile1 aRaicher I1 aStump PRNAG1 aHarnik SB1 aOliveira RA1 aBaccarelli R1 aMarciano L1 aUra S1 aVirmond M1 aTeixeira MJ1 aAndrade DC00aNeuropathic pain in leprosy: symptom profile characterization and comparison with neuropathic pain of other etiologies.  uhttps://journals.lww.com/painrpts/Fulltext/2018/04000/Neuropathic_pain_in_leprosy___symptom_profile.4.aspx  a1-73 a<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Previous studies reported a high prevalence of neuropathic pain in leprosy, being especially present in “pharmacologically cured” patients. The presence of neuropathic pain in leprosy poses a supplementary burden in patient’s quality of life, daily activities, and mood.<br />
<strong>Objectives:</strong> The aim of this study was to assess whether neuropathic pain in leprosy has similar symptom profile as neuropathic pain of other etiologies and to retrospectively assess the efficacy of neuropathic pain medications regularly prescribed to leprosy.<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> Leprosy and nonleprosy patients had their neuropathic pain characterized by the neuropathic pain symptominventory (NPSI, ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the maximal neuropathic pain intensity) in a first visit. In a second visit, leprosy patients who had significant pain and received pharmacological treatment in the first evaluation were reassessed (NPSI) and had their pain profile and treatment response further characterized, including information on drugs prescribed for neuropathic pain and their respective pain relief.<br />
<strong>Results:</strong> The pain characteristics based on NPSI did not significantly differ between leprosy and nonleprosy neuropathic pain patients in visit 1 after correction for multiple analyses, and cluster analyses confirmed these findings (ie, no discrimination between leprosy and nonleprosy groups; Pearson x250.072, P50.788). The assessment of pain relief response and the drugs taken by each patient, linear regression analysis showed that amitriptyline, when effective, had the highest percentage of analgesic relief.<br />
<strong>Conclusions:</strong> Neuropathic pain in leprosy is as heterogeneous as neuropathic pain of other etiologies, further supporting the concept that neuropathic pain is a transetiological entity. Neuropathic pain in leprosy may respond to drugs usually used to control pain of neuropathic profile in general, and amitriptilinemay constitute a potential candidate drug for future formal clinical trials aimed at controlling neuropathic pain in leprosy.</p>