2019/01/01 by Eugenio Cavalli, Santa Mammana, Ferdinando Nicoletti +2 · 1 voice · 4 citations
Medicine · #Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders #Pain Mechanisms and Treatments #Peripheral Neuropathies and Disorders
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/2058738419838383
openalex publication_date 2019/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Neuropathic pain is characterized by abnormal hypersensitivity to stimuli (hyperalgesia) and nociceptive responses to non-noxious stimuli (allodynia). The conditions and the pathophysiological states that determine the onset of neuropathic pain are heterogeneous, such as metabolic disorders, neuropathy caused by viral infections, and autoimmune diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Neuropathic pain in the general population is estimated to have a prevalence ranging between 3% and 17%. Most of the available treatments for neuropathic pain have moderate efficacy and present side effects that limit their use; therefore, other therapeutic approaches are needed for patients. In this article, the current standard of care treatment, the emerging pharmacological approaches from the completed phase III clinical trials, and the preclinical studies on novel promising therapeutic options will be reviewed.