ArticleJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2026
Incidence and prevalence of small fibre neuropathy in the Netherlands: a multiple system estimation study.
Article in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSmall fibre neuropathy (SFN) affects small myelinated Aδ- and unmyelinated C-fibres and causes neuropathic pain and autonomic symptoms. Earlier Dutch estimates, over a decade old, reported a minimum prevalence of 52.95 and an incidence of 11.75 per 100 000 adults. As recognition of SFN has likely increased, this study aimed to estimate the total SFN population in the Netherlands and to provide updated incidence and prevalence rates using a multiple system estimation (MSE) approach.
methodsMSE was used to estimate the total adult SFN population by matching patients from three national databases: the SFN expertise centre, the national SFN registry and the Dutch Neuromuscular Disorders Association. Prevalence was calculated by using total population numbers from Statistics Netherlands, adjusting for mortality with age- and sex-specific survival rates. Annual incidence and prevalence by sex and region were calculated using stratified MSE. Missing diagnosis years in the patient association data were imputed using multiple imputations.
resultsThe prevalence of SFN in 2024 was estimated at 69.69 and the incidence at 3.55 per 100 000 adults in the general Dutch population, with higher rates in females. Incidence increased over time, particularly among females.
conclusionsThis study reveals a higher prevalence than previously reported. The lower incidence compared with previous estimates likely reflects differences in geographic coverage, while the rising trend suggests increasing awareness and recognition of SFN. These findings suggest that SFN represents a larger problem than previously recognised and the burden of SFN emphasises the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.