Comparison of neuropathic pain symptoms and functionality in hand osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study

This study compares the neuropathic pain (NP) symptoms of patients diagnosed with hand osteoarthritis (HOA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which are common causes of pain in the wrist and hand. The patients diagnosed with HOA or RA, complaining of pain in their hands were included in the study. The primary outcome of the study was to compare NP symptoms, and the secondary outcome was to compare hand function between the groups. In the study, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), 4-Question Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (DN-4) and painDETECT Questionnaire (PD-Q) were used to assess the patients' pain, and Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) was used to assess their functionality. The study included 100 patients diagnosed with HOA (n = 50) and RA (n = 50). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age (P = .277 (95% CI: -1.99 to 6.87)), gender (P = .617), duration of disease symptoms (P = .341) and dominant hand side (P = .617). No significant difference was found between the VAS, DN-4 and PD-Q values of the groups (P > .05). However, when the DHI values of the groups were evaluated, the DHI values of the RA group were significantly higher (P = .041). In our study, although there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of NP complaints, it is noteworthy that hand functions were more affected in the RA group. Studies with a larger number of patients and objective evaluations will provide a better understanding of the differences in NP.