The epidemiology and risk factors of chronic polyneuropathy.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of observational prevalence and cohort studies (by design analogy)
PubMed 26700499 · doi:10.1007/s10654-015-0094-6
What was done
The authors systematically searched six databases (EMBASE, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane, PubMed Publisher, and Google Scholar) for population-based studies examining the prevalence and risk factors of polyneuropathy. From 5,119 identified records, they included 29 eligible studies: 11 door-to-door surveys, 7 case-control studies, and 11 cohort/database studies.
What was found
Prevalence varied widely across studies, partly due to varying assessment protocols and populations. Overall general population prevalence was approximately 1%, rising up to 7% in the elderly. Polyneuropathy was reported more frequently in Western countries than in developing countries, with indications of higher rates in females than males. Regional etiologies varied: communicable diseases (e.g., leprosy) were more common in developing nations, whereas diabetes, alcohol overconsumption, cytostatic drugs, and cardiovascular disease predominated in Western nations. Across all studies, 20% to 30% of cases were idiopathic.
Why it matters
This review aggregates global epidemiological data on polyneuropathy, demonstrating a high burden in older adults and highlighting that nearly one-third of all cases have no identifiable cause.
Limits
Prevalence estimates showed substantial heterogeneity due to disparate diagnostic and assessment protocols. Most included studies were conducted more than 15 years prior to the review, and the abstract does not report pooled meta-analytic effect sizes, confidence intervals, or formal study quality assessments.
Cited by
- supports Approximately 25% of all peripheral neuropathies are idiopathic.