OBJECTIVES

: In France 11% of the population suffers from chronic pain translating to 72 million consultations a year. Furthermore, up to 7% of the population suffers from neuropathies.

The aim of the study was to apprehend the daily life of patients suffering from chronic pain in France.

METHODS

: A questionnaire was created with the inputs of patients’ associations. The questions were about social characteristics, disease history, relationship with healthcare professionals, pain description – both quantitative and qualitative (French Version of Short McGill Pain Questionnaire (SMGPQ ). From June to September 2020, patients answered online the 113 questions of the survey.

RESULTS

: 643 patients answered the questionnaire among them 121 were considered as suffering from neuropathies. The mean age was 52,21 +/- 17,23. 90% of the respondent were women.

80% of the respondents were satisfied with the attention they received from their GPs, with no significant difference in this respect between patients with nociceptive and neuropathic pain.

The values of the visual analogue scales for patients with neuropathic and nociceptive pain were significantly different 7.20±1.46 vs 6.31±2.03. (p<0,001)

A significant difference (p<0.001) was found using the SMGPQ on the intensity of clinical signs characteristic of neuropathic pain compared to nociceptive pain: hot/burning (2.07±1.31 vs. 1.47±1.30), tingling (1.98±1.17 vs. 1.47±1.22), electric discharges (1.98±1.16 vs. 1.38±1.17)

Discontinuation of treatment was more frequent in the neuropathic pain population than in the nociceptive pain population. Neuropathic patients preferred and found more effective the use of hypnosis (26% vs. 10%), psychiatry (31% vs. 17%), neurostimulation (36% vs. 18%) than patients with nociceptive pain. There was no significant difference in the breakdown of non-reimbursed expenses between the two cohorts. Overall both spend 352€ a year in out-of-pocket expense.

CONCLUSIONS

: While having different type of pain, French patient suffering from neuropathy have the same care course.