BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of neuropathic pain varies according to specific situations, due to multiple etiologies and manifestations, and may be located anywhere in the nervous system, being classified as peripheral or central. The classification has been modified with a certain frequency by the International Association for the Study of Pain in recent years, and may, for example, be classified as possible, probable or permanent. This brief review analyzes aspects of neuropathic pain epidemiology in general Brazilian population and in different clinical situations. CONTENTS: Data on neuropathic pain prevalence in general population are not reliable due to broad heterogeneity of studies, different definitions and evaluation methods. The same difficulties are found when neuropathic pain prevalence is evaluated in Brazil. The prevalence and/or incidence in different clinical situation varies according to specific clinical situation, since it has multiple etiologies and may be located anywhere in the nervous system. Clinical situations in which neuropathic pain is more frequent are herpes-zoster, diabetes, leprosy, trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia, low back pain, and also central neurological diseases. CONCLUSION: Data on the incidence and/or prevalence of chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics are very different and although this type of pain is being broadly studied in recent years, epidemiological studies are relatively scarce and the methodology used varies a lot.
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