Prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with common low back pain with radiculalgia in sub Saharan Africa: a bicentric cross-sectional study of about 409 patients

Abstract

Background: Neuropathic Pain (NP) is defined as pain caused by injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system.

Objective: To study the frequency of neuropathic pain among patients with common low back pain with radiculalgia in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: This was a bicentric cross-sectional study carried from February 2015 to 30th July 2015 in the first center and from February 2017 to 30th July 2017 in the second center. The study lasted six months in each study site. All patients with a common low back pain with radiculalgia were included. Those without radiculalgia and those without the common character, were not included. The common character was based on the absence of biological inflammation (normal haemogram and sedimentation rate, negative C-Reactive-Protein). DN4 questionnaire was used for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain.

Results: Four hundred and nine patients with common low back pain with radiculalgia were included. There were 278 females (67; 97%) and 131 males (32; 03%), for a sex ratio of 0.47. The average age was 51.75 ± 13.84 years with extremes of 16 and 88 years. One hundred and seventy-five patients (42.8%) had NP. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant association between NP and age over 60 years and clinical radicular syndrome.

Conclusions: Our study found a high frequency of neuropathic pain during common low back pain with radiculalgia in sub-Saharan Africa patients. Age over 60 years and poorly systematized radiculalgia were associated to NP.

Keywords: Neuropathic pain, Low back pain, DN4, Africa