{"doi":"10.7759/cureus.93548","title":"Exploring the Prevalence and Symptom Burden of Small Fiber Neuropathy in Patients With Diabetes Using the Small Fiber Neuropathy Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN-SIQ)","abstract":null,"journal":"Cureus","year":2025,"id":628681,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":0,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1614038,"name":"Chinenye Iguh","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627803,"name":"Sara Baba-Aissa","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627804,"name":"Mishal Iqbal","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627805,"name":"Tejashree Nidiginti","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627806,"name":"Rabia Jalali","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627807,"name":"Ali A Kashmoola","orcid":null,"position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627808,"name":"Mutaz M Abualhab","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627809,"name":"Racha Al Niazi","orcid":null,"position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627810,"name":"Ayaan Rafiq Shaikh","orcid":null,"position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627811,"name":"Jerin Xavier Polackal","orcid":null,"position":10,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627812,"name":"Ramsha Zahid","orcid":null,"position":11,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1627802,"name":"Yashar Mashayekhi","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Exploring the Prevalence and Symptom Burden of Small Fiber Neuropathy in Patients With Diabetes Using the Small Fiber Neuropathy Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN-SIQ)","abstract":"BACKGROUND: Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is a widely encountered and underdiagnosed complication of diabetes, which is linked with severe agony and loss of quality of life due to the proximity of neuropathic pain, autonomic dysfunction, and sensory problems. Despite its established judgments as a complication, there is limited literature on its consequences and impact on symptoms in patients with diabetes, especially in Pakistan. This research aims to identify the degree of SFN and its burden on symptoms among individuals with diabetes through the Small Fiber Neuropathy Symptoms Inventory Questionnaire (SFN-SIQ). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2025, involving a sample population of 300 patients with diabetes from the outpatient diabetes and endocrinology units in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Quetta. The SFN-SIQ, together with the Douleur Neuropathique Questionnaire (DN4), was used to determine neuropathic pain, along with incorporating demographic information into a structured questionnaire. The descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and non-parametric testing were used in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The study population mostly comprised men (266 men, 89%), with a median age of 60 years or older. The results found significant positive correlations between SFN-SIQ and diabetes-related measures such as duration, type of diabetes, and complications (r = 0.26-0.29). It was observed that females had a greater burden of SFN symptoms compared to males (p = 0.004). Symptoms of SFN are highly related to smoking (p = 0.003), family history of diabetes (p = < 0.001), and the existence of diabetes-related complications (p = 0.001). Type of diabetes, duration, treatment, complications, smoking, and family history were strong predictors of SFN symptom burden, found in the regression analysis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this study, a substantial burden of SFN symptoms among patients with diabetes in Pakistan was found, and there were essential relationships between both symptom severity and diabetes-related factors. The results confirm that early diagnosis and treatment of SFN are crucial in enhancing patients' quality of life and minimizing the long-term effects of diabetes. Regular screening of SFNs in diabetes care centers can contribute to early detection and better treatment of symptoms.","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"41035812","pmcid":"PMC12482043","openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W4414673581","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":0.0,"citation_percentile":0.27380578,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[],"oa_status":"gold","license":"cc-by","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://www.cureus.com/articles/407192-exploring-the-prevalence-and-symptom-burden-of-small-fiber-neuropathy-in-patients-with-diabetes-using-the-small-fiber-neuropathy-symptoms-inventory-questionnaire-sfn-siq.pdf","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://www.cureus.com/articles/407192-exploring-the-prevalence-and-symptom-burden-of-small-fiber-neuropathy-in-patients-with-diabetes-using-the-small-fiber-neuropathy-symptoms-inventory-questionnaire-sfn-siq.pdf","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://www.cureus.com/articles/407192-exploring-the-prevalence-and-symptom-burden-of-small-fiber-neuropathy-in-patients-with-diabetes-using-the-small-fiber-neuropathy-symptoms-inventory-questionnaire-sfn-siq","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.93548","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41035812","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/12482043","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12482043/","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12482043","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12482043?pdf=render","host_type":"Europe_PMC"}],"fields_of_study":["Pain Mechanisms and Treatments","Diabetic Foot Ulcer Assessment and Management","Peripheral Nerve Disorders","Medicine"],"mesh_terms":[],"keywords":["Diabetes mellitus","Quality of life (healthcare)","Diabetic neuropathy","Peripheral neuropathy","Diabetes treatment","Diabetes","Neuropathic pain","risk factors","Small Fiber Neuropathy","Sfn-siq"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-05T14:35:36.850380Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}