Journal
BMJ NEUROLOGY OPEN
Volume 4, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/bmjno-2021-000247
Keywords
diabetic neuropathy; neuropathy; diabetes; neurophysiol; clinicaL
Categories
Funding
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme [NNF14OC0011633]
- Novo Nordisk Foundation [NNF18OC0052301]
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This study compared the demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and clinical characteristics of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) and idiopathic polyneuropathy (IPN). The results showed that patients with DPN were older, had higher body mass index and waist circumference, and were more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension. In addition, DPN patients had slightly higher neuropathy symptom scores, lower frequency of hyperalgesia and decreased vibration on quantitative sensory testing, lower intraepidermal nerve fibre density count, and higher prevalence of small-fiber neuropathy.
Background and purpose Chronic distal sensory or sensorimotor polyneuropathy is the most common pattern of polyneuropathy. The cause of this pattern is most often diabetes or unknown. This cross-sectional study is one of the first studies to compare the demographics, cardiovascular risk factors and clinical characteristics of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) with idiopathic polyneuropathy (IPN). Methods Patients with DPN were included from a sample of 389 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) enrolled from a national cohort of patients with recently diagnosed T2DM (Danish Centre for Strategic Research in Type 2 Diabetes cohort). Patients with IPN were included from a regional cohort of patients with symptoms of polyneuropathy referred for workup at a combined secondary and tertiary neurological centre (database cohort). Results A total of 214 patients with DPN were compared with a total of 88 patients with IPN. Patients with DPN were older (67.4 vs 59 years) and had a longer duration of neuropathy symptoms. Patients with DPN had greater body mass index (32 vs 27.4 kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (110 cm vs 97 cm); higher frequency of hypertension diagnosis (72.9% vs 30.7%); lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels; and a higher prevalence of use of statins (81.8% vs 19.3%). DPN was associated with a slightly higher autonomic score and total score on the Neuropathy Symptom Score; lower frequency of hyperalgesia, allodynia and decreased vibration on quantitative sensory testing; lower intraepidermal nerve fibre density count and higher frequency of small-fibre neuropathy. Conclusion DPN and IPN showed clear differences in neuropathy characteristics, indicating that these two entities are to be regarded as aetiologically and pathogenetically distinct.
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