RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Neuropathic pain is defined as a pain initiated or caused by a lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system. The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence and incidence of neuropathic pain in hospital neurology units and primary care centres, to characterize the clinical profile of the patient with neuropathic pain and to know the most frequent treatments in the pharmacological management of this type of pain. METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional epidemiological survey carried out in 36 Neurology Units of the national territory (24 primary care centres and 12 hospitals). During 20 consecutive days neurologists collected the diagnoses of all the attended patients by any reason, up to 30 patients/day. In parallel the 20 first consecutive patients with neuropathic pain were chosen for their characterization in depth by means of a specific questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 12,688 patients were attended and a total of 13,555 diagnoses were collected through 713 consultation days. The most frequent diagnosis was migraine/cephalea, with a prevalence of 23.40% (95% CI: 22.66%-24.14%). Neuropathic pain represented the eighth more frequent diagnosis, with a prevalence in neurology units of 3.88% (95% CI: 3.54%- 4.22%). The prevalence of neuropathic pain was 2.92% in primary care centres and 6.09% in hospital units (p < 0.01). The daily incidence of new neuropathic pain cases was 1.24% (95% CI: 1.05%-1.53%); 1.14% in primary care neurology centres and 1.45% in hospital units. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained indicate that neuropathic pain is the eighth more frequent diagnosis in the neurology units. Medical assistance request by neuropathic pain is higher in the hospital units.