Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment
Purpose of Review: Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a chronic cutaneous neuropathy primarily characterized by localized pruritus and associated dysesthesias, including sensations of pain, numbness, and tingling. The sensory neuropathy characteristic of NP is thought to result from spinal nerve entrapme...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Clinics and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/13/1/29 |
| _version_ | 1797621627901444096 |
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| author | Christopher Robinson Evan Downs Yanet De la Caridad Gomez Chinonso Nduaguba Parker Woolley Giustino Varrassi Jatinder Gill Thomas T. Simopoulos Omar Viswanath Cyrus A. Yazdi |
| author_facet | Christopher Robinson Evan Downs Yanet De la Caridad Gomez Chinonso Nduaguba Parker Woolley Giustino Varrassi Jatinder Gill Thomas T. Simopoulos Omar Viswanath Cyrus A. Yazdi |
| author_sort | Christopher Robinson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose of Review: Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a chronic cutaneous neuropathy primarily characterized by localized pruritus and associated dysesthesias, including sensations of pain, numbness, and tingling. The sensory neuropathy characteristic of NP is thought to result from spinal nerve entrapment caused by degenerative changes in the spine or musculoskeletal compression. This review summarizes the current medical literature with a focus on the past five years regarding NP, its pathophysiology, presentation, and current treatment options. Recent Findings: Though treatments exist with varying efficacy, to date, there exists no definitive treatment for NP. Treatment options for NP are varied and range from topical and oral agents to interventional procedures and physical therapy. Of the treatments evaluated, topical capsaicin remains the most efficacious treatment for NP. Conclusions: The lack of established treatment guidelines makes treating NP complicated as it dramatically affects patients’ quality of life. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to evaluate better the most effective treatment and dosing regimen for patients afflicted with NP. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:58:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f7afd3a43c24b078ee0c4667508bf25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-7283 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:58:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinics and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f7afd3a43c24b078ee0c4667508bf252023-11-16T19:52:01ZengMDPI AGClinics and Practice2039-72832023-02-0113131532510.3390/clinpract13010029Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and TreatmentChristopher Robinson0Evan Downs1Yanet De la Caridad Gomez2Chinonso Nduaguba3Parker Woolley4Giustino Varrassi5Jatinder Gill6Thomas T. Simopoulos7Omar Viswanath8Cyrus A. Yazdi9Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USASchool of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71103, USAPain Management Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USAPaolo Procacci Foundation, 00193 Roma, ItalyBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USASchool of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71103, USABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USAPurpose of Review: Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a chronic cutaneous neuropathy primarily characterized by localized pruritus and associated dysesthesias, including sensations of pain, numbness, and tingling. The sensory neuropathy characteristic of NP is thought to result from spinal nerve entrapment caused by degenerative changes in the spine or musculoskeletal compression. This review summarizes the current medical literature with a focus on the past five years regarding NP, its pathophysiology, presentation, and current treatment options. Recent Findings: Though treatments exist with varying efficacy, to date, there exists no definitive treatment for NP. Treatment options for NP are varied and range from topical and oral agents to interventional procedures and physical therapy. Of the treatments evaluated, topical capsaicin remains the most efficacious treatment for NP. Conclusions: The lack of established treatment guidelines makes treating NP complicated as it dramatically affects patients’ quality of life. Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to evaluate better the most effective treatment and dosing regimen for patients afflicted with NP.https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/13/1/29nostalgia parestheticacutaneous neuropathytopical treatmentscapsaicin |
| spellingShingle | Christopher Robinson Evan Downs Yanet De la Caridad Gomez Chinonso Nduaguba Parker Woolley Giustino Varrassi Jatinder Gill Thomas T. Simopoulos Omar Viswanath Cyrus A. Yazdi Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment Clinics and Practice nostalgia paresthetica cutaneous neuropathy topical treatments capsaicin |
| title | Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment |
| title_full | Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment |
| title_short | Notalgia Paresthetica Review: Update on Presentation, Pathophysiology, and Treatment |
| title_sort | notalgia paresthetica review update on presentation pathophysiology and treatment |
| topic | nostalgia paresthetica cutaneous neuropathy topical treatments capsaicin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/13/1/29 |
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