Opioids in Painful-DPN
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the burden of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy and impact of opioid treatment
IRAS ID
332421
Contact name
Gordon Sloan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Painful Diabetic Neuropathy is a condition which people with diabetes can develop that causes pain in the feet as a result of damage to the nerves. We know that this condition can have a profound impact upon sufferers' lives, such as a reduced quality of life. However, the full burden of the disease is not fully understood. Moreover, the treatments for the condition are often inadequate. Therefore, a class of medications called opioids (or opiates) are prescribed, like morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl. In general, these medications are not recommended by guidelines for chronic pain and Painful Diabetic Neuropathy, but we know they are commonly prescribed due to the severity of the pain people suffer and lack of other treatments. It is becoming increasingly recognized that opioids are associated with long-term harms, but this has not been studied in people with Diabetes and Painful Diabetic Neuropathy. This study aims to further investigate the burden of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy and investigate the impact of long-term opioid treatment.
In this study, potential participants will be identified by examining our existing research and clinical Diabetes Databases. These participants will be initially contacted over the telephone to explain the study and introduce them to the questionnaires. Then the questionnaires will be completed by the preferred method of the patient, which will be either with a mail-out or a consultation over the telephone or online.
These questionnaires will ask about Painful Diabetic Neuropathy treatment, social factors and mood, and about symptoms which could be related to opioid treatment, if they take opioids. We will ask 50 people who return the questionnaires (who are matched for age, sex type of diabetes and severity of pain) to attend an in-person study visit for more detailed assessment, including neurological examination and to complete further questionnaires.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
23/WA/0288
Date of REC Opinion
11 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion