Neuropathic Pain in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Prospective Case Series.
Debasish Jena, Jagannatha Sahoo, Apurba Barman and 2 others
PMID 35252833WHAT IT FOUND
Eight hospitalized patients developed neuropathic pain during acute COVID-19.
Most had mild to moderate symptoms. Pain improved with pregabalin and amitriptyline, but half still had mild pain at one month. It is unclear if the medication or the steroids caused the relief.
Key findings
01Neuropathic pain was predominantly mild to moderate in severity, with severe pain present in only two of the eight patients.
02Pain symptoms improved with gabapentinoids, but it remains unclear whether the improvement was due to the pain medication, corticosteroids, or a combination.
03Half of the patients still reported persistent mild neuropathic pain symptoms at the one-month follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size is extremely small (eight patients), which prevents generalizing the findings to a wider population. The cause of the pain was not objectively assessed due to infection control regulations. Concurrent treatments (corticosteroids, remdesivir, supportive care) mean the specific contribution of the pain medication cannot be separated. Follow-up was limited to one month, so longer-term persistence of pain is unknown.
Declared interests
The paper does not explicitly state funding sources or conflicts of interest in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that pregabalin or amitriptyline caused the pain reduction. Most patients were also receiving corticosteroids, and the authors state it is unclear whether the improvement was due to the pain medication, the steroids, or both.