Investigating the Association between Diabetic Neuropathy and Vitamin D in Emirati Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

(1) Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a common public health problem in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and globally, and interestingly, improvements in diabetic neuropathy after taking Vitamin D supplementation for a short time have been reported. Despite living in a country that is sunny all year round, hypovitaminosis D, indicated by an obvious low serum vitamin D level, has been recurrently noted in the UAE, as well as in the surrounding Arabian Gulf countries. This problem is receiving much attention and attracting clinical and academic interest. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to identify the association, if any, between vitamin D deficiency and the development of diabetic neuropathy in the UAE population with T2DM. (2) Methods: a total of 600 Emirati patients (male and female) with T2DM, aged between 20 and 80, were recruited from University Hospital Sharjah (UHS). The medical records of the patients were reviewed and analyzed. (3) Results: The results of the present study showed that among the 600 patients, 50% were affected with diabetic neuropathy. Vitamin D level in patients with neuropathy were estimated to be around 20 ng/mL (IQR 14-25), and vitamin D levels were significantly higher (33 ng/mL (IQR 20-42)) among patients without neuropathy, with p < 0.001. Another important finding was that patients without neuropathy had a better vitamin D status, with only 19% being deficient and 18% having insufficient vitamin D levels, compared to patients with neuropathy, where 39% were deficient (vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) and 44% had insufficient vitamin D levels (20-30 ng/mL). (4) Conclusion: The findings of the present study show that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D 25-OHD level) is significantly high in diabetic neuropathy in Emirati patients with T2DM.

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the association between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic neuropathy in Emirati patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results showed that among the 600 patients, 50% had diabetic neuropathy and these patients had lower vitamin D levels compared to those without neuropathy. The study suggests a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Emirati patients with T2DM and highlights the importance of addressing this issue.