Distinguishing pain profiles among individuals with long COVID.
Laura Tabacof, Maanas Chiplunkar, Alexandra Canori and 4 others
PMID 39493003WHAT IT FOUND
31 of 153 adults in a long COVID clinic were classified as having neuropathic pain.
That group reported more headache, confusion, and muscle weakness and lower quality of life scores. It did not test treatment.
Key findings
0131 of 153 adults with long COVID were classified as having neuropathic pain, and 122 were classified as having non-neuropathic pain.
02Headache, confusion or difficulty thinking, and generalized muscle weakness were significantly more prevalent in the neuropathic pain group.
03The neuropathic pain group had significantly lower NeuroQoL and EQ VAS quality of life scores than the non-neuropathic pain group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from one clinic, so it may not represent all people with long COVID. The authors state that the dataset is limited and that generalizing the findings is challenging. The paper does not report how many people were excluded for incomplete data. The study reports associations from survey and database records, not outcomes from a tested treatment.
Declared interests
The authors report financial support from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, the Nash Family Foundation, and the Polybio Research Foundation. No other conflict of interest details are given.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that neuropathic pain caused lower quality of life or cognitive symptoms. The study reports associations in a clinic sample and did not test treatment.