Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2006 Jan;22(1):97-103.
doi: 10.1097/01.ajp.0000173018.64741.62.

The validity of the neuropathic pain scale for assessing diabetic neuropathic pain in a clinical trial

Affiliations
Clinical Trial

The validity of the neuropathic pain scale for assessing diabetic neuropathic pain in a clinical trial

Mark P Jensen et al. Clin J Pain. 2006 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: In controlled trials of analgesics for the treatment of neuropathic pain, the primary outcome variable is most often a measure of global pain intensity. However, because neuropathic pain is associated with a variety of pain sensations, the effects of analgesic treatments on different sensations could go undetected if specific pain qualities are not assessed. This study sought to evaluate the utility of assessing the multiple components of neuropathic pain in an analgesic clinical trial.

Methods: One hundred fifty-nine subjects with diabetes-related foot pain were randomly assigned to receive an active analgesic (controlled-release oxycodone) or matching placebo for 6 weeks. A multidimensional measure of neuropathic pain, the Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS), was administered before, during, and after study treatment.

Results: Relative to placebo, the opioid analgesic produced statistically significantly greater decreases in global pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and sharp, dull, and deep pain sensations. Responder analyses indicated a higher rate of responding to the opioid condition, relative to placebo, for intense, unpleasant, deep, and surface pain. The opioid analgesic did not significantly reduce hot, cold, itchy, or sensitive pain sensations compared with placebo in either analysis.

Conclusions: These findings support the utility of the NPS for characterizing the multidimensional nature of the neuropathic pain experience and for detecting changes in neuropathic pain with treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

LinkOut - more resources