Neuropathic Pain in Obese Patients: Prevalence and Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract

Obesity is associated with increased sensitivity to pain, including neuropathic pain (DN).The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of DN in obese patients, to assess its impact on the quality of life and to identify the factors associated with it. This is a prospective and descriptive study conducted over a period of 4 months. All patients with BMI over 30 kg/m2, non-diabetics were included. The evaluation of neuropathic pain was made by the DN4 score. The visual pain scale was calculated. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-12 score. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26. A total of 111 patients were included. The average age was 44.79 years old. The majority were women. The average BMI was 38.69 kg/m2. The prevalence of neuropathic pain was 59.1%. The average VAS was 4.32. Physical quality of life was impaired in 66.7% of patients and 71.4% had an impairment of mental life. In univariate analysis, neuropathic pain was more common in women, in older subjects, in cases of prediabetes, in cases of vitamin D deficiency and in patients with impaired physical and mental quality of life. The Spearman correlation study had shown that the DN4 Score was positively correlated with pain VAS, and negatively correlated with physical quality of life and mental quality of life. DN is common in obese patients. It is responsible for a significant impact on the quality of life, hence the importance of detecting and treating it.