Electrophysiology of peripheral neuropathy in relation to long term metabolic control in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

الملخص EN

Objective: To study the electrophysiological findings of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in relation to long term metabolic control in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Materials: The study was performed on 40 non-insulin dependent diabetic patients.

Twenty of them had symptoms and/or signs of peripheral neuropathy and their mean age was 58.30 ? 3.72 years.

The other twenty patients had no symptoms or signs of peripheral neuropathy and had a mean age of 52.60 ? 6.22 years.

Also ten non-diabetic subjects were included as a control group with a mean age of 54.55 ? 5.21 years.

Methods: The following laboratory investigations were done for all groups: urine analysis, fasting post-prandial blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

Electro-diagnostic tests were performed in the form of electromyography (EMG) of the abductor pollicis brevis and extensor digitorm brevis.

Also, nerve conduction velocities (motor and sensory) were measured for the median, common peronal and sural nerves.

Results: At rest, there were abnormal waves in 25% in-group I, while no such waves were detected in subclinical cases and controls.

All nerve conduction velocities (motor and sensory) tended to be significantly lower in the diabetic than control subjects.

Also, nerve conduction velocity values had an inverse correlation with glycosylated hemoglobin.

Conclusion: There was a correlation between diabetic neuropathy and long-term metabolic control.

Again, the electrophysiological study is necessary in diabetic as it helps to detect early cases of sub-clinical neuropathy.