Peripheral sensory neuropathy associates with micro- or macroangiopathy: results from a population-based study of type 2 diabetic patients in Sweden.
OBJECTIVE
To assess associations between peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) and other diabetes-related complications.


METHODS
In an area-based cohort of type 2 diabetic subjects, we investigated 156 subjects (age 61.7 +/- 7.2 years and diabetes duration 7.0 +/- 5.7 years) by questionnaires, clinical examinations, blood and urine sampling, and review of medical records.


RESULTS
Prevalence of PSN, assessed by monofilament and neurothesiometer testing, increased with severity of retinopathy (50% frequency in moderate and 100% in severe or proliferative retinopathy; P = 0.02). Vibration perception threshold was higher in subjects with retinopathy (25.6 +/- 8.9 vs. 20.5 +/- 8.9 V; P = 0.007). PSN was more common in subjects with overt nephropathy, with higher vibration perception thresholds, than in subjects without overt nephropathy. Subjects with PSN but no retinopathy had twice the prevalence of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (52%) as subjects with both PSN and retinopathy (19%; P = 0.05). In subjects with PSN alone, PVD was three times more likely (52%) than in subjects without PSN (16%; P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, PSN was independently associated with PVD (odds ratio 2.31; P = 0.007), age (1.12; P = 0.008), male sex (2.01; P = 0.02), and HDL cholesterol (0.21; P < 0.05) and tended to be independently associated with IGF-1 binding protein (1.03; P = 0.05) but not with diabetes duration or A1C.


CONCLUSIONS
In a representative population of type 2 diabetes, PSN is related to microvascular and macrovascular pathology. PSN is possibly affected by the IGF axis.
Kärvestedt
Lars
L
Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. lars.karvestedt@stockholmssjukhem.se
Mårtensson
Eva
E
Grill
Valdemar
V
Elofsson
Stig
S
von Wendt
Gunvor
G
Hamsten
Anders
A
Brismar
Kerstin
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005528:Foot; D006801:Humans; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000097:blood; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010465:Perception; D015995:Prevalence; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013383:Suburban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014732:Vibration
D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I