title: Prevalence and correlates of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a Saudi Arabic population: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in a Saudi population. The study population consisted of 552 diabetic participants with an average age of 53.4 years. Among this population, 62.7% were male and 94.9% had type 2 diabetes. The average body mass index was 31.1 kg/m2. DPN was diagnosed based on a combination of reduced vibration perception measured by neurothesiometer and/or reduced light touch perception evaluated by the 10-g Semmes-Weinstein monofilament, as well as neurological symptoms. Information on socio-demographic variables, smoking status, duration of diabetes, and medications was obtained through interviews by physicians. Body weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and clinical markers were assessed following standard procedures. The prevalence of DPN in this population was 19.9% (95% CI, 16.7%-23.5%). In the multivariable analyses, longer duration of diabetes [odds ratio (OR) for every 5-year increase, 2.49, 95% CI, 1.75-3.53], abdominal obesity (OR, 2.53, 95% CI, 1.41-4.55), and higher levels of fasting blood glucose (OR for every 1 mmol/L increase, 1.05, 95% CI, 0.99-1.12), creatinine (OR for every 10 µmol/L increase, 1.07, 95% CI, 0.99-1.14) and white blood cell count (OR for every 106/L increase, 1.08, 95% CI, 1.01-1.16) were associated with higher odds of DPN, while oral hypoglycemic medication use was associated with a lower odds of DPN (OR, 0.47, 95% CI, 0.26-0.85). In this large Saudi population, several correlates for DPN, in addition to glycemic control and diabetes duration, were identified, including abdominal obesity, creatinine and white blood cell count.
authors.affiliation: The Departments of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Dong D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Mohammad Hussein Al Amoudi Chair for Diabetic Foot Research, and the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Art and Design College, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Balkees A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bakhotmah
authors.affiliation: The Departments of Nutrition, and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America; The Channing Division for Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Frank B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: The Mohammad Hussein Al Amoudi Chair for Diabetic Foot Research, and the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Art and Design College, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hasan Ali
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Alzahrani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology