Prevalence of Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the main risk factor of diabetic foot ulcer and its early diagnosis is important to prevent limb amputation. We assessed the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was performed on 352 randomly selected diabetic patients using a standardized questionnaire including age, gender, duration of diabetes, BMI, smoking status, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, triglyceride, cholesterol and uric acid as well as past medical history. Peripheral neuropathy was evaluated using United Kingdom Neuropathy Score screening test and 10 gram Semmes Weinstein monofilament tests. Ankle-Brachial Index was also used for detecting peripheral arterial disease. Forty-eight percent of patients were male and 52% were female; Mean age of the subjects was 57.0±10.3 with a median duration of diabetes of 12.6±7.5 years. The overall prevalence of neuropathy was 59.3%; 40.3% of patients failed to sense the monofilament. There was a statistically significant correlation between the results of United Kingdom Neuropathy Score screening test and 10-point monofilament testing (r=0.43, P<0.001). The prevalence increased with age, from 5.6% in the participants aged less than 40 years to 51.8% in patients more than 60 years. Neuropathy was associated with duration of diabetes, and was present in 14.1% and 34% of patients with diabetes duration less than 5 years and greater than 15 years, respectively. The prevalence of neuropathy was not significantly different between men and women. Our study showed significant correlation between neuropathy and history of cerebrovascular accident. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication associated with diabetes. It increases with both age and duration of diabetes.