To detect the expression level of serum miRNA-15a (miR-15a) in patients with neuropathic pain (NP) and analyze its clinical significancen.

One hundred and fifteen patients with NP admitted to the Neurology Department of Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from October 2019 to January 2022 were selected as the study group, and 115 patients without pain and in good health who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the pain intensity of the study group, and self rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self rating depression scale (SDS) were used to evaluate the anxiety and depression of patients in the study group and the control group, and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantitatively detect the expression level of serum miR-15a in the study group and the control group. SAS, SDS scores and serum miR-15a expression levels were compared between the study group and the control group. The VAS scores and serum miR-15a expression levels of patients with different etiologies in the study group were compared. The occurrence of anxiety and depression in the study group was counted, and the expression levels of serum miR-15a were compared between patients with anxiety and depression and patients without anxiety and depression in the study group. Pearson method was used to analyze the relationship between the serum miR-15a expression level and pain, anxiety and depression scores in the study group.

The incidence of anxiety and depression in the study group were 32.17% and 51.30%, respectively. The SAS, SDS scores and serum miR-15a expression levels in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant difference in VAS scores and serum miR-15a expression levels among patients with different etiologies in the study group (P<0.05). The expression levels of serum miR-15a in patients with anxiety and depression in the study group were higher than those in patients without anxiety and depression (P<0.05). The expression level of serum miR-15a in the study group was positively correlated with VAS, SAS and SDS scores (P<0.05).

NP patients not only have high-intensity pain, but also are prone to be complicated with anxiety and depression. Serum miR-15a is highly expressed in NP patients, and the expression level of serum miR-15a is closely related to the degree of pain, anxiety and depression.