Table of content

Table of content

CHAPTER 2

PAINFUL DIABETIC NEUROPATHY

2.1  INTRODUCTION

2.2  PAIN

2.2.1    Types of pain

2.2.2    Neuropathic pain

2.2.3    Diabetic neuropathy

2.3  PAINFUL DIABETIC NEUROPATHY 

2.3.1    Classification of PDN according to the duration of pain

2.3.2    Risk factors for development of painful diabetic neuropathy

2.3.3    Prevalence of painful diabetic neuropathy worldwide and in the MENA region

1.1      INTRODUCTION

As stated in the aim and objectives in chapter 1, the first objective of this PhD research project is to critically review the literature on PDN with focus on its nature and diagnosis and on the screening tools for neuropathic pain, in order to identify the methodology to be used to estimate the point prevalence of PDN in Libyan diabetic patients, which is the main aim in this thesis. This chapter provides a critical overview of PDN. It describes and discusses the published findings in several key articles in order to define the condition, describe the entities that are categorised together as PDN, and explain its pathophysiology and diagnosis in clinical settings. Such information is indispensable for a critical appraisal of the screening for PDN using symptoms-based questionnaires that can be used for surveys in the limited resources setting of the Libyan healthcare environment.

As it is also important to distinguish between painful and painless neuropathies, this chapter includes brief discussion of the definitions of pain used in this thesis. Finally, it will be argued that there is a need for a systematic review of the prevalence of PDN in the MENA region as a whole and in Libya in particular.

KEY:   Chapter content      Rationale

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.