OBJECTIVES: Pain is an important driver of health-related utility. Our purpose was to characterise the association between pain severity and the EQ-5D index. METHODS: Paired values for the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) average pain score (previous 24 hours) and the EQ-5D index were available from a prospective, non-interventional study of people with neuropathic pain treated with an 8% capsaicin patch (QutenzaTM).  The NPRS records pain on an integer scale between 0 and 10 units, representing no pain and worst imaginable pain, respectively. The EQ-5D index is derived from impairment level (none/moderate/severe) across five domains (Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, Pain & discomfort, Anxiety & depression), and values health-related utility on a scale of 1 to 0, meaning perfect health and death, respectively. Generalized linear mixed models with a normal probability distribution, identity link function, and a first-order autoregressive covariance structure were tested to determine the relationship between EQ-5D index score (scale) and NPRS average 24 hour pain score (ordinal). RESULTS: For the purposes of this preliminary analysis, 170 patients with NP contributed 353 combined observations from baseline observation and follow-up assessments at week-8 and week-12. The GLMM model that best fitted the data (smallest Information criterion) had one random effect (subject + intercept) and one fixed effect (NPRS + intercept). The fixed-effects coefficients were: (Intercept) 0.728 + (NPRS1: β 0.000; 95%CI -0.0186, 0.186) + (NPRS2: -0.045;-0.205,0.116) + (NPRS3: -0.075;-0.227,0.078) + (NPRS4: -0.207;-0.364,-0.049) + (NPRS5: -0.181;-0.338,-0.024) + (NPRS6: -0.315;-0.471,-0.159) + (NPRS7: -0.323;-0.478,-0.167) + (NPRS8: -0.458;-0.618,-0.299) + (NPRS9: -0.638;-0.825,-0.451) + (NPRS10: -0.740; -0.927,-0.553). Predicted utility was highly correlated (R2=0.753) with observed utility. Mean squared error for predicted utility was 0.033 (sd 0.052).  CONCLUSIONS: Neuropathic pain was highly correlated with utility with a difference of around 0.8 utility units across the NPRS range. All domains of the EQ-5D differed across the NPRS.