Earlier diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in primary care in Latin America using a simple screening tool (ACT).

Abstract

Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) can significantly impair quality of life, but often remains undiagnosed due to limited clinic time, lack of specialist expertise and lack of patient awareness. There are several validated questionnaires for diagnosing PN, but the time taken to administer them in busy primary care clinics limits their utilization. A new, simpler questionnaire was developed following an advisory board meeting in Southeast Asia and was further refined and translated to Portuguese and Spanish following a second advisory board meeting in Latin America. We consider current hurdles and propose a quick and reliable questionnaire that can be widely adopted to enable earlier diagnosis and improved management of PN in resource-limited settings in Latin America.