Refining Diagnostic Criteria for Small Fiber Neuropathy

Researchers use Besta criteria to prospectively characterize suspected small fiber neuropathy patients, although clinical applicability may be limited.

Diagnosing small fiber neuropathy can be challenging because of the lack of established diagnostic criteria, variety of subjective symptoms, and often-minimal exam findings. Proposed diagnostic criteria include the Besta criteria and guidelines of the Diabetic Neuropathy Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (NEURODIAB). These criteria use different combinations of symptoms, signs, intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD), and quantitative sensory testing (QST). Researchers tested these criteria both retrospectively and in a separate prospective cohort.

The two criteria sets showed high agreement in a review of 150 patients diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy by the Besta criteria (areas under the curve, 0.98)…

Reviewing Author

Leana Doherty, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsNeurohospitalist Society; InterACTN (Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology)

Leana Doherty, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsNeurohospitalist Society; InterACTN (Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology)

Refining Diagnostic Criteria for Small Fiber Neuropathy

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Reviewing Author