Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26700499›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of epidemiology2016

The epidemiology and risk factors of chronic polyneuropathy.

Rens Hanewinckel, Marieke van Oijen, M Arfan Ikram, Pieter A van Doorn

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of epidemiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07341997 (Environmental Factors Associated With Peripheral Neuropathies in French Guiana), which is not on this map. Cited by 142 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
142citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
9.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07341997 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Environmental Factors Associated With Peripheral Neuropathies in French Guiana

TypeinterventionalSponsorAdmin CICRan2025 to 2027Enrolled78ConditionsPeripheral Neuropathies, Environmental Risk Factor, Lead Neuropathy, Mercury NeuropathyArmsCase Group
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

142 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 278 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. Sudomotor function testing by electrochemical skin conductance: does it really measure sudomotor function?Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2019
    Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Trial
  10. Observational
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Self-reported peripheral neuropathic symptoms in long-term adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors: results of the SURVAYA study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
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  17. Observational
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  20. Review

82 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rens HanewinckelDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Marieke van OijenDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
M Arfan IkramDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.
Pieter A van DoornDepartment of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Erasmus MC · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Polyneuropathy is a disabling condition of the peripheral nerves, characterized by symmetrical distal numbness and paresthesia, often accompanied with pain and weakness. Although the disease is often encountered in neurological clinics and is well known by physicians, incidence and prevalence rates are not well known. We searched EMBASE, Medline, Web-of-science, Cochrane, PubMed Publisher, and Google Scholar, for population-based studies investigating the prevalence of polyneuropathy and its risk factors. Out of 5119 papers, we identified 29 eligible studies, consisting of 11 door-to-door survey studies, 7 case-control studies and 11 cohort/database studies. Prevalence of polyneuropathy across these studies varies substantially. This can partly be explained by differences in assessment protocols and study populations. The overall prevalence of polyneuropathy in the general population seems around 1% and rises to up to 7% in the elderly. Polyneuropathy seemed more common in Western countries than in developing countries and there are indications that females are more often affected than males. Risk factor profiles differ across countries. In developing countries communicable diseases, like leprosy, are more common causes of neuropathy, whereas in Western countries especially diabetes, alcohol overconsumption, cytostatic drugs and cardiovascular disease are more commonly associated with polyneuropathy. In all studies a substantial proportion of polyneuropathy cases (20-30%) remains idiopathic. Most of these studies have been performed over 15 years ago. More recent evidence suggests that the prevalence of polyneuropathy in the general population has increased over the years. Future research is necessary to confirm this increase in prevalence and to identify new and potentially modifiable risk factors.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansIncidenceMalePolyneuropathiesPrevalenceRisk FactorsSex FactorsEpidemiologyIdiopathic polyneuropathyIncidenceNeuropathyPolyneuropathyPrevalence

Identifiers

PMID26700499
PMCPMC4756033
OpenAlexW2277951273

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.