Principles & Practice of Pain Medicine > Part V. Pain Syndromes > A. Neuropathic Pain > Chapter 37. Polyneuropathy Elizabeth M. Raynor and Galit Kleiner-Fisman

Polyneuropathy: Introduction

"Painful polyneuropathy is a debilitating neurologic problem and frequently a challenging therapeutic management issue. Difficulties in managing patients are too often the result of poor understanding of their problem on the part of the treating physician. Many physicians assume that there is no need to work up neuropathy because the final outcome is likely to be an idiopathic, axonal disorder for which there is no effective therapy. In fact, many neuropathies are responsive to immunosuppressive therapies. Although responses to such therapy constitute the minority, they should be vigorously sought before telling patients there is no treatment for their progressive disorder. In many cases, treatment of the polyneuropathy also leads to improved pain control; however, pain is often a primary issue in and of itself and must be treated irrespective of the potential for improvement of the underlying polyneuropathy. In these cases, pain management specialists may work in concert with neurologists to provide a comprehensive treatment approach...."