Peripheral nerve function and metabolic control in diabetes mellitus.
Measurement of conduction velocity along the H reflex arc was used to study sensorimotor peripheral nerve function in diabetic patients during short- and long-term improvement of hyperglycemia. In ten type I diabetics a slight (p less than 0.05) conduction increase occurred after 6 hours of normal glycemia induced by an artificial endocrine pancreas. Similar but more prominent improvement occurred in twelve type I diabetics treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin injection for 6 months. The results suggest that nerve conduction slowing in diabetic patients stems partly from reversible, nonstructural abnormalities and partly from more slowly reversible morphological or chemical changes in peripheral nerve.
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin