Would We Be Able to Vaildate Diagnostic Criteria and Pave the Way for Discerning Causality in Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Trigeminal neuralgia, a disabling painful disease af- fects approximately 4-5 per 100,000 individuals per year (1). More recent studies report a much higher incidence of 26 -29 per 100,000 (2, 3). It affects mainly those in the 40-80 years range and when occurring in those younger, secondary causes for trigeminal neuralgia are sought. The American census bureau reported a 15% increase in those 65 years and older between the years 2000-2010 (www.census.gov; last accessed 11/17/11, 7:55pm).