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Updated: May 11, 2026

Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1
Published on: February 13, 2018
Small fibers, large impact: quality of life in small-fiber neuropathy
Mayienne Bakkers1, Catharina G Faber, Janneke G J Hoeijmakers
1Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
The impact of small-fiber neuropathy (SFN) on patients' quality of life (QOL) has not been studied extensively. Our aim was to determine the impact of SFN on QOL and examine possible determinants.
Methods:
We examined a total of 265 patients diagnosed with SFN. The SFN Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN-SIQ), the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the generic SF-36 Health Survey were assessed. Regression studies were undertaken to evaluate determinants of functioning.
Results:
SFN patients demonstrated a severe overall reduction in QOL. The biggest deficits were in Role Functioning-Physical, Body Pain, and Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores. VAS scores, changed sweating pattern, dry mouth, and age were the strongest predictors for PCS, explaining 32% of the QOL decrease.
Conclusions:
SFN leads to a reduction in overall QOL. The presence of pain and some autonomic symptoms explained only a small portion of the findings.
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