Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy with 10 kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation: Long-Term Improvements in Hemoglobin A1c, Weight, and Sleep Accompany Pain Relief for People with Type 2 Diabetes.

PURPOSE

The recent SENZA-PDN study showed that high-frequency (10kHz) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) provided significant, durable pain relief for individuals with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), along with secondary benefits, including improved sleep quality and HRQoL. Given that metabolic factors and chronic neuropathic pain are related, we evaluated potential secondary effects of 10kHz SCS on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and weight in SENZA-PDN participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This analysis included 144 participants with T2D and lower limb pain due to PDN who received 10kHz SCS during the SENZA-PDN study. Changes in HbA1c, weight, pain intensity, and sleep were evaluated over 24 months, with participants stratified according to preimplantation HbA1c (>7% and >8%) and body mass index (BMI; ≥30 and ≥35 kg/m).

RESULTS

At 24 months, participants with preimplantation HbA1c >7% and >8% achieved clinically meaningful and statistically significant mean reductions in HbA1c of 0.5% ( = 0.031) and 1.1% ( = 0.004), respectively. Additionally, we observed a significant mean weight loss of 3.1 kg ( = 0.003) across all study participants. In subgroups with BMI ≥30 and ≥35 kg/m, weight reductions at 24 months were 4.1 kg ( = 0.001) and 5.4 kg ( = 0.005), respectively. These reductions were accompanied by a mean pain reduction of 79.8% and a mean decrease in pain interference with sleep of 65.2% at 24 months across all cohorts.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study of SCS to demonstrate long-term, significant, and clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c and weight in study participants with PDN and T2D, particularly among those with elevated preimplantation HbA1c and BMI. Although the mechanism for these improvements has yet to be established, the results suggest possible direct and indirect metabolic benefits with 10kHz SCS in addition to durable pain relief.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClincalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT03228420.