title: Association of homocysteine with peripheral neuropathy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between plasma total homocysteine concentration and diabetic neuropathy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (n=249) were enrolled in a cross-sectional hospital based study. Diabetic neuropathy status was documented by presence of clinical signs and confirmed by electromyography. Plasma total homocysteine concentration was measured using fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Traditional risk factors for diabetic neuropathy were obtained from fasting blood samples and interviewer-questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma total homocysteine levels were higher in subjects with diabetic neuropathy than without (12.8 (9.2-14.8) μmol/l vs. 8.0 (7.7-9.1) μmol/l, p=0.005). The association of homocysteine with diabetic neuropathy was independent of major traditional risk factors for diabetic neuropathy (duration of diabetes, HbA1c) and determinants of higher homocysteine concentration (age, gender, serum folate and vitamin B12, renal status, and Biguanide use) (OR: 1.12 (1.00-1.25), p=0.042). Furthermore, per increase of 4.0 μmol/l plasma homocysteine was related to neuropathy, after controlling for per unit increase of other factors (OR: 1.17 (0.94-1.33), p=0.045).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma total homocysteine concentration was independently associated with occurrence of diabetic neuropathy in Chinese people. Future prospective studies are warranted to clarify the relationship.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Guangzhou Road 300, Nanjing 210029, China. ljbzjlx18@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jianbo
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuche
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: Tang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jingrong
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qing
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiawei
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hongxing
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine