Small study offers hope to patients with small fiber neuropathy
Many patients diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy, one of the many forms of peripheral neuropathy, ask their physicians about their prognosis. Physicians are usually not sure how to answer, since there is not a lot of research to back whether the condition will improve or worsen over time, particularly for cases which are idiopathic in nature.
A recent German study followed 12 patients diagnosed with idiopathic small fiber neuropathy over a period of time, ranging from 2.5-14 years, to make some determination on the prognosis of the condition over time. In this study, they were able to show that the majority of patients remained stable, with only limited progression of the disease. These patients saw little to no change in their pain control and did not experience further reductions in their quality of life over time.
Although this is reassuring and offers hope to our patients, this study is small and the results needs to be replicated on a larger scale.