Altered C-fiber function as an indicator of early peripheral neuropathy in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study explored the importance of glycemic burden compared with features of the metabolic syndrome in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy by comparing C-fiber function in people with type 1 diabetes to that in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:

The axon reflex-elicited flare areas (LDIflares) were measured with a laser Doppler imager (LDI) in age-, height-, and BMI-matched groups with IGT (n = 14) and type 1 diabetes (n = 16) and in healthy control subjects (n = 16).

RESULTS:

The flare area was reduced in the IGT group compared with the control (2.78 +/- 1.1 vs. 5.23 +/- 1.7 cm(2), P = 0.0001) and type 1 diabetic (5.16 +/- 2.3 cm(2), P = 0.002) groups, whereas the flare area was similar in the type 1 diabetic and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

This technique suggests that small-fiber neuropathy is a feature of IGT. The absence of similar small-fiber neuropathy in those with longstanding type 1 diabetes suggests that glycemia may not be the major determinant of small-fiber neuropathy in IGT.

• Authors: Alistair Q Green, Singhan Krishnan, Francis M Finucane, Gerry Rayman
• Journal: Diabetes care (Diabetes Care) Vol. 33 Issue 1 Pg. 174-6 (Jan 2010) ISSN: 1935-5548 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20040675 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Case-Control Studies
• Diabetic Neuropathies (physiopathology)
• Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological
• Female
• Glucose Intolerance (physiopathology)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated (parasitology, pathology)
• Peripheral Nervous System Diseases (physiopathology)