Chronic idiopathic axonal neuropathy and pain, treated with the endogenous lipid mediator palmitoylethanolamide: a case collection
A 66-year-old Caucasian male (born in 1947) suffered from chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy, and showed a mean pain score of 8 on the NRS. The diagnosis was supported by EMG analysis in 2011, showing signs of a severe axonal neuropathy, without any sign of demyelinization. The complaints started in 2000, with burning and tingling in both feet. Neuropathic pain started after walking 10 miles and more. Being an enthusiastic walker, he started to feel very annoyed by the symptoms. He refused to take analgesics such as amitriptyline and pregabalin because of much-feared side effects. We started treatment with PEA according to our protocol, and month-by-month his pain decreased. After 2–3 months, pain was reduced to NRS 1–2, and the patient was able to start walking long distances again. Side effects were not reported.