Serum VEGF increases in diabetic polyneuropathy, particularly in the neurologically active symptomatic stage.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN).


METHODS
Two hundred and twenty diabetic patients participated, 113 with DPN and 107 without DPN. All patients were also classified according to the four stages of DPN (no neuropathy: stage 0; asymptomatic neuropathy: stage 1; symptomatic neuropathy: stage 2; disabling neuropathy: stage 3). Serum VEGF concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and levels between the patients with and without DPN and also between the different stages of DPN, were compared.


RESULTS
The mean serum VEGF level in all patients was 264.6 +/- 218.8 pg/ml. The mean serum VEGF level was higher in patients with DPN (310.1 +/- 224.3 pg/ml) than in the patients without DPN (216.5 +/- 204.0 pg/ml, P = 0.0014). Serum VEGF was higher in the 'symptomatic' stage (stage 2, 364.8 +/- 225.9 pg/ml) in comparison with the 'asymptomatic' (stage 1, 256.7 +/- 224.4 pg/ml, P = 0.015) and 'disabling' (stage 3, 180.3 +/- 109.4 pg/ml, P = 0.042) stages. The mean serum VEGF level in patients with diabetic retinopathy (261.1 +/- 210.6 pg/ml) and in patients with diabetic nephropathy (241.5 +/- 185.7 pg/ml) was not increased.


CONCLUSIONS
The serum VEGF level is increased in patients with DPN, particularly in patients in the neurologically active 'symptomatic' stage.
Deguchi
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T
Department of Diabetes and Endocrine Medicine, Hematology, Endocrinology and Diabetology Center, Kagoshima University Medical and Dental Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan. degdeg@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Hashiguchi
T
T
Horinouchi
S
S
Uto
T
T
Oku
H
H
Kimura
K
K
Makisumi
K
K
Arimura
K
K