Neuropathy Symptom Profile in Health, Motor Neuron Disease, Diabetic Neuropathy, and Amyloidosis

We developed a true-or-false questionnaire with several hundred questions about symptoms encountered in peripheral neuropathy, to be scored by optical reader and computer. Responses were grouped into scales called "Neuropathy," "Weakness," "Sensory," "Autonomic," and subsets of these. Profiles in health were estimated for each scale based on responses from 300 healthy subjects 15 to 65 years old. The sensitivity and specificity of the scales were tested in patients with motor neuron disease, amyloidosis, or diabetes, with or without neuropathy. The questionnaire was useful in detecting neuropathy and staging severity, and in recognizing patterns that may have diagnostic implications.