Near Infrared Light for the Treatment of Painful Peripheral Neuropathy

Phase 3

Terminated

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine if near infrared light therapy is effective in decreasing pain in patients with painful peripheral neuropathy. The hypothesis of the study was that the percentage of subjects with at least 40% improvement in visual analog scale score for pain after 4 weeks of treatment is higher for Monochromatic Near-infrared Photoenergy (MIRE) treatment than for sham treatment.

Detailed Description: Pain is a very common symptom, between 65-80%, in patients with peripheral neuropathy. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of monochromatic near infrared photoenergy therapy (MIRE) in the treatment of pain in axonal peripheral neuropathy. This will be compared with a placebo (sham) device.

The MIRE is a FDA approved, drug-free, non-invasive, medical therapeutic device that uses near-infrared light emitting diodes to deliver monochromatic near infrared photoenergy (MIRE) through contact with the skin. The effect of MIRE is believed to increase local blood circulation by dilating vessels and to reduce pain by decreasing local swelling and inflammation. MIRE is also thought to increase local levels of nitric oxide (NO) which may decrease pain levels.

Study subjects will receive treatment with the device or the placebo device 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Response will be measured during and after the treatment period.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Adults ages 18-85; able to give informed consent
Documented painful, distal peripheral neuropathy of idiopathic cause, or related to impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus.
Neuropathy documented by one of the following studies: nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography (EMG); quantitative sensory testing of the foot with Computer Aided Sensory Evaluator (CASE IV); quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (Quantitative Sweat MeasurementSystem [Q-Sweat]); neurology specialty examination; and neuropathy impairment score (NIS) of less than 25.
Stable pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain for at least two weeks.
Optimal pharmacotherapy has been achieved.
Subjects cannot be on Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX 2) inhibitors
Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of greater than or equal to 4/10
Subject has provided written informed consent
Not currently using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
Not currently receiving acupuncture

Exclusion Criteria

Pregnant or likely to become pregnant
Current diagnosis of cancer
Neuropathy impairment score (NIS) of greater than 25.
Diagnosis of severe neuropathy of known etiology for which specific treatment is available (i.e., acute and chronic inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathies, vasculitis, B 12 deficiency).
Unstable diabetes mellitus defined as a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) greater than 9%, and/or 10% of fasting blood sugars greater than 300 mg/dl for the week prior to enrollment.

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
MIRE	MIRE	Subjects randomized to this arm will receive treatment with monochromatic near infrared photo energy (MIRE).
Sham	Sham Device	Subjects randomized to this arm will receive treatment with the sham device, which is non-active but otherwise identical to the study device.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Percentage of Subjects That Have a Greater Than or Equal to Forty Percent Decrease on the Visual Analog Pain Scale at the End of Four Weeks of Treatment	baseline, 4 weeks	Pain was measured by a 10 cm long Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The VAS does not have any pre-set marks between the extremes. On this scale 0 means no pain and 10 cm means extreme pain. The investigator measures the mark made by the subject in cm and records this for the value of pain.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Percentage of Subjects That Have a Forty Percent Reduction of Pain Measured by the Neuropathic Pain Scale at the End of Four Weeks of Treatment	baseline, 4 weeks	The neuropathic pain scale consists of 10 questions with individual answers rated from 1 to 10, with 0 = no pain to 10 = the most intense pain imaginable. The overall score could range from 0 to 100, with 0 = no pain to 100 = the most intense pain imaginable.
Percentage of Subjects That Have an Improvement of Two Points or More on the SF-8 at the End of Four Weeks of Treatment	baseline, 4 weeks	The SF-8 Health Survey has 8 questions, each question measuring each of the eight domains of health. Scores are calibrated so that 50 is the average score or norm. A lower score indicates poorer health, and a higher score indicates excellent health.