In this study, we investigated the relationship between sensory abnormalities evaluated by quantitative sensory testing (QST) and alexithymia, depression and anxiety in patients with neuropathic pain involving the upper limbs. We enrolled 62 patients (34 with carpal tunnel syndrome, 7 with brachial plexopathy, 3 with cervical painful radiculopathy, 5 with ulnar entrapment neuropathy at elbow and 13 with post-burn hypertrophic scars) and 48 healthy controls. All underwent nerve conduction studies (NCS), evaluation of cold, heat pain and vibration detection threshold (VDT) by QST and evaluation of alexithymia by Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), depression by Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), anxiety by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), level of psychological distress by 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and perceived social support by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The general linear model analysis revealed a significant relationship between TAS-20 overall and TAS-20 sub-score for difficulty identifying feelings and VDT z-scores in the left index with no interaction by year of education and sensory NCS results. Our results demonstrated the association between impairment of vibratory sensation of the left hand, reflecting cutaneous mechanoceptor dysfunction, and alexithymia, particularly the difficulty to identify feelings. The importance of delivering to patients with neuropathic pain personalized care that takes into account not only the neurophysiological aspects but also the aspects of mental functioning is discussed.

在这项研究中，我们调查了上肢神经性疼痛患者通过定量感觉测试（QST）评估的感觉异常与述情障碍、抑郁和焦虑之间的关系。我们招募了 62 名患者（34 名患有腕管综合征，7 名患有臂丛神经病，3 名患有颈痛性神经根病，5 名患有肘部尺神经卡压神经病，13 名患有烧伤后肥厚性疤痕）和 48 名健康对照者。所有患者均接受神经传导研究 (NCS)、通过 QST 评估冷痛、热痛和振动检测阈值 (VDT)、通过多伦多述情障碍量表 (TAS-20) 评估述情障碍、通过贝克抑郁量表 II (BDI-II) 评估抑郁症、通过状态特质焦虑量表 (STAI-Y) 测量焦虑程度，通过 12 项一般健康问卷 (GHQ-12) 测量心理困扰水平，通过感知社会支持多维量表 (MSPSS) 测量感知社会支持。一般线性模型分析显示，TAS-20 总体评分和 TAS-20 感觉识别困难分项评分以及左侧指数中的 VDT z 评分之间存在显着关系，而教育年份和感觉 NCS 结果之间没有交互作用。我们的结果证明了左手振动感觉受损（反映皮肤机械感受器功能障碍）与述情障碍（尤其是难以识别感觉）之间的关联。讨论了为神经性疼痛患者提供个性化护理的重要性，不仅考虑神经生理学方面，还考虑心理​​功能方面。