Worldwide, 7–10% of people are thought to have neuropathic pain. In a US survey of 24,925 people conducted in 2017, most participants with neuropathic pain reported being in pain for more than 5 years.4,6
Not all people with nerve damage develop neuropathic pain, although the likelihood increases when the nerve damage is more severe.2 For example, results obtained from a comprehensive computerised literature review of diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain, searched from 1995 through to August 2004, showed that around a quarter to a half of people with diabetes have nerve damage, which may result in neuropathic pain.7 The prevalence of neuropathic pain is expected to increase in the future, due to the ageing global population and increasing rates of diabetes and cancer.2
Neuropathic pain adds a greater burden to already burdensome conditions. In one UK survey of 4451 people, 17% of participants described their chronic neuropathic pain as ‘worse than death’.5 The pain can be associated with anxiety, depression, disturbed sleep, which can affect a person’s quality of life.2 A global survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that people with a chronic pain condition miss an average of 14 additional days of work or activities per year, compared with people without such a condition.8