Pain condition said to affect over a million
people
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Doctors misunderstand or ignore a severe
pain condition thought to affect more than a million people
in the UK, sufferers believe.
Peripheral neuropathy (PN), a condition in which nerve
disturbances cause chronic pain, often goes undiagnosed.
The survey for the Neuropathy Trust revealed a quarter of
patients wait at least a year for referral to a specialist.
Doctors said the condition was often difficult to detect.
Two-thirds of patients felt their condition was not
satisfactorily kept under review, leading to the feeling
that they were being forgotten by doctors.
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The only way I can describe the pain is
like a ring of cheesewire tightening around
my toes
|
More than six in ten had never been given a
definitive diagnosis, according to the survey of 662 members
of the trust.
The condition often gives rise to severe neuropathic pain
(NeP) which causes parts to the body to become
super-sensitive.
NeP mainly affects the arms, hands legs and feet. It can
be triggered by light pressure from clothing, air movement
or temperature changes.
The pain is often described as stabbing, burning,
tickling, prickling or tingling.
Impact
The survey showed almost three-quarters of people with
the condition are unable to work. The trust estimates there
are 1.4 million sufferers in the UK.
One of them, 70-year-old Shirley Hughes, from Runcorn,
Cheshire, said the condition had a massive impact on her
life.
She said: "Sometimes the pain in my feet is too much to
bear. The only way I can describe the pain is like a ring of
cheesewire tightening around my toes.
"I had so many plans for my retirement and these are no
longer possible. I had to cancel a planned trip to Australia
this summer for a family wedding."
Dr Steve Allen, a consultant in chronic pain management
based at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, backed the
findings of the survey.
He said: "Many patients seen in my pain clinic have
waited for many months from the time that they first visited
their GP to the time that they receive a definitive
diagnosis and commence treatment.
Worsened
"During this time their condition has often worsened, and
their quality of life significantly reduced."
Co-author of a report for the Neuropathy Trust Andrew
Keen, himself a sufferer of the condition, said: "PN and NeP
are not new conditions. What is new is the research that is
exposing them as real physical illnesses which deserve more
attention than they are at present given."
He said there was an urgent need to educate GPs about
peripheral neuropathy and improve fast-track patient and
investigation practices. The report called for specific
action by the government.
More than 100 potential causes are thought to underlie
the condition, including diabetes, cancer, and HIV.
Dr Paul Watson at the Pain Society said: "It is a
difficult condition to diagnose. Often people are missed."
The solution lay in educating GPs and other frontline
staff about peripheral neuropathy, he said.
He said the condition was "not very common" but that
there was not enough time to see patients who need a
considerable length of consultation to allow a diagnosis to
be made.
Dr Watson added: "We need more resources in pain
clinics."