• Maria Dolors Soler, David Moriña, Neus Rodríguez, Joan Saurí, Joan Vidal, Albert Navarro, and Xavier Navarro.
• *Institut Guttmann Neurorehabilitation Institute †Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol, Carretera Canyet, Badalona ‡Unit of Infections and Cancer (UNIC), Cancer Epidemiology Research Program (CERP), Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)-IDI-49 BELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Avda Gran Via §GRAAL, Unit of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine ∥Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, and Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ¶Consortium Center for Biomedical Research in Network for Neurodegenerative Disease (CIBERNED), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
• Clin J Pain. 2017 Sep 1; 33 (9): 827-834.

AimIndividuals experiencing neuropathic pain (NP) after spinal cord injury (SCI) present with a variety of pain descriptors in different combinations and at different intensities. These sensory features form distinct patterns, known as sensory symptom profiles.MethodsIn the present cross-sectional study, we have used a multivariate statistical method (multiple correspondence analysis) to categorize the sensory symptom profiles of a cohort of 338 patients with at-level or below-level NP after SCI. We also investigated possible associations between positive neuropathic symptoms and features of the neurological lesion.ResultsThe majority of participants had a combination of pain descriptors, with 59% presenting with 3 or 4 pain subtypes. No significant associations were found between specific pain profiles and etiology or clinical degree of the neurological lesion. Furthermore, similar symptom profiles were seen in patients with at-level and below-level NP. The most frequent pattern observed in patients with cervical SCI consisted predominantly of electric shocks and tingling, without burning, pressure pain, or allodynia.ConclusionsClassification of SCI-NP patients into the 5 groups identified in the present study based on their distinct sensory symptom profiles may allow identification of those most likely to respond to a specific analgesic approach.

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