OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional survey aimed to analyze the disease burden of patients with neuropathic pain disorders in Chinese Tier 3 hospitals. The burden of illness with neuropathic pain was illustrated from three perspectives of pain, overall health status and economic burden. METHODS: This was a one-point, cross-sectional, observational survey conducted at 14 departments of Neurology and Pain Control of Tier 3 hospitals in China. Eligible patients with a diagnosis of neuropathic pain were asked to participate in the survey. The patient survey was self-administered with instruction by a trained site coordinator. The patient questionnaire included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the EuroQoL (EQ-5D), and collected patient demographic information. SAS version 9.1.3 was used for all analyses. RESULTS: There were 309 patients enrolled in the study. The mean age of patients was 60.4 years (52.4% female). BPI pain severity index at the mild (1-3 points), moderate (4-6 points) and severe level (7-10 points) was 25.2%, 55.3% and 19.5% respectively. The mean EQ-5D score was 0.605, and decreased when BPI index increased (EQ-5D = 0.719, 0.584, 0.517 for mild, moderate, severe category respectively, P<0.001). The employee status was affected by pain. There was a 22.0% reduction in scheduled work time, 12.3% were disabled and 6.7% were unemployed or retired early. In the four-week time frame, 141 patients reported missed workdays, with the mean number 7.2 days. The mean (SD) of the total expenditure for the overall treatment of neuropathic pain during the past 4 weeks was 2147.4(3991.3) RMB. For neuropathic pain treatment, 98 (47.8%) patients reported that prescription medications were effective. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with neuropathic pain disorders reported moderate pain which had significant negative impacts on overall health status, productivity and economic burden. The overall satisfaction with neuropathic pain medication was still low.