A Longitudinal Assessment of Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy on Health Status, Productivity, and Health Care Utilization and Cost

Objective. The aim of the current study was to examine the health outcomes of patients suffering from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) over a 3-year period, relative to patients with diabetes but without neuropathic pain and controls. Design. The current study included participants who completed three consecutive waves of the National Health and Wellness Survey (2006-2008). These participants were categorized into one of three groups: those with pDPN (N = 290), those with diabetes but without pDPN ("diabetes without pDPN group"; N = 1,037), and those not diagnosed with diabetes ("control group"; N = 8,162). Outcome Measures. Health status (Short Form-12v2), work productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire), and resource use were examined with repeated-measures models adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Results. The pDPN group reported significantly lower levels of physical quality of life. Moreover, physical quality of life scores for the pDPN group decreased at a significantly faster rate over a 3-year period relative to other groups. In addition, the pDPN patients reported significantly higher levels of impairment of work productivity and activity, greater resource use, and higher total 3-year per-patient costs. Conclusions. Confirming and expanding upon the literature, our results indicate a significantly worse trajectory of quality of life outcomes over time and long-term increased total costs for pDPN patients relative to non-pDPN diabetes patients and controls.