Neurology: Prevalence and risk factors of chronic axonal polyneuropathy

Chronic axonal polyneuropathy is a common condition that increases in prevalence with age
.
It mainly affects the quality of life and causes difficulties
in various activities.
People with polyneuropathy often do not seek medical care, so the social burden of the disease may be underreported
.
Given the ageing of the population, modern data
on the prevalence and risk factors profile of polyneuropathy in the general population are needed.
Recently, a study published in Neurology investigated current and expected prevalence and investigated the (co-)incidence
of risk factors in patients with chronic axonal polyneuropathy.

Between June 2013 and January 2020, participants in the population-based Rotterdam study underwent extensive field examinations to diagnose polyneuropathy
.
To calculate age-standardized prevalence for ages ≥ 40 years in the Netherlands, Europe, the United States, and the world population
.
Putative risk factors
are determined through laboratory test results, interviews, questionnaire data, and medical record review.

The prevalence of chronic axonal polyneuropathy increases with age and is expected to rise
further over time.
Multiple combinations of known risk factors are frequently present, indicating the need for a thorough diagnostic work-up, even if a single risk factor
for polyneuropathy is known.
These findings suggest that the cumulative effect of multiple risk factors is important
in the development and course of the disease.

Source: Taams NE, Drenthen J, Hanewinckel R, Ikram MA, van Doorn PA.
Prevalence and Risk Factor Profiles for Chronic Axonal Polyneuropathy in the General Population [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 25].
Neurology.
2022; 10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201168.
doi:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201168