Revue médicale suisse
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Neuropathic pains are frequent with better understood underlying mechanisms. The introduction of a new questionnaire, named DN4 (neuropathic pain 4 questions) will certainly be useful to prevent persistent pain. ⋯ The choice of the drug is based on the type of pain, a predominantly diffused pain being firstly treated with tricyclic antidepressants, whereas paroxysmal and localized pain being more adequately treated with anti-epileptics. Pregabaline, the newest anticonvulsant launched in the Swiss market, appears to be effective as a treatment of painful diabetic polyneuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia.