下肢痛・しびれを有する腰椎疾患に対するプレガバリンの有用性について―JOABPEQを用いた評価

Efficacy of Pregabalin in Lumbar Vertebral Disease with Lower Limb Pain and/or Numbness. Assessment Using the JOABPEQ (The Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire)

　非ステロイド性抗炎症薬や非ピリン系鎮痛薬で十分な効果のなかった下肢痛・しびれを有する腰椎疾患84例にプレガバリンを使用した．副作用のために8例が早期に使用を中止したが，服用を2週間継続した76例は，投与前後でJOABPEQ(The Japan Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire)の全項目が統計学的有意差をもって改善した．疾患ごとでは，症例数が少ないため統計学的に十分な分析はできないが，脊柱管狭窄症や腰椎椎間板ヘルニアの下肢痛やしびれだけでなく，術後の遺残痛やしびれ，腰椎圧迫骨折の椎間孔狭窄による神経根症や原因不明の下肢痛・しびれを有する76例のうち55例が症状の改善を実感した．

　Pregabalin was used to treat 84 patients with lumbar vertebral disease and lower limb pain and/or numbness against which NSAIDs and non-pyrine analgesics were ineffective.

　Eight patients discontinued Pregabalin therapy because of early side effects.　All items of the JOABPEQ (The Japan Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire) significantly improved in the 76 patients who continued Pregabalin therapy for two weeks.　Pregabalin was effective against the symptoms of spinal canal stenosis and disc herniation, residual postoperative pain, pain of unknown origin, and referred pain of compression fractures.　There were no significant differences in the improvement among these diseases.