title: Prevalence and forms of neuropathic morbidity in 800 diabetics.
abstract: We prospectively determined the prevalence of morbidity from the various forms of diabetic neuropathy over one year in a population of 800 patients with diabetes mellitus (336 type 1, 464 type 2 DM). Symptoms documented were: pain/paraesthesia in the feet, loss of feeling and the restless legs syndrome. We also documented the prevalence of: neuropathic ulcers, amyotrophy, foot drop, and oculomotor palsy. Autonomic symptoms documented were: impotence, postural hypotension and diarrhoea. The only symptoms reported by 100 non-diabetic control subjects were: loss of feeling in 2% and restless legs syndrome in 7%. In the diabetics; pain/paraesthesia was present in 13%, feeling loss in 7% and neuropathic ulcers in 2%. The prevalence of Diabetic amyotrophy (proximal femoral neuropathy) was 0.8%, oculomotor palsy 0.1% and peroneal nerve palsy 0.1%. Erectile impotence was present in 20%, symptomatic postural hypotension in 1% and diabetic diarrhoea in 1%. Overall; 22.9% of the population was afflicted by one or more problems resulting from neuropathy. Neuropathy was associated with older age (p < 0.001), and serious retinopathy (p < 0.001) in both groups of diabetics and with duration of diabetes, proteinuria (p < 0.02), hypertension (p < 0.01) and ischaemic heart disease (p < 0.02) in type 1 diabetics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Endocrinology, Limerick Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: O'Hare
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abuaisha
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geoghegan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged