Prevalence and risk factors for severity of diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Incidence and Risk Factors of Diabetic Foot Syndrome in Patients Early After Pancreas or Kidney/Pancreas Transplantation and its Association with Preventive Measures

Diabetic foot (DF) can develop in diabetic patients after organ transplantation (Tx) due to several factors including peripheral arterial disease (PAD), diabetic neuropathy and inappropriate DF prevention. Aim: To assess the occurrence of DF and associated risk factors in transplant patients. Methods: Fifty-seven diabetic patients were enrolled as part of this prospective study. All patients underwent organ Tx (01/2013-12/2015) and were followed up for minimum of 12 months up to a maximum of 50 months. Over the study period we evaluated DF incidence and identified a number of factors likely to influence DF development, including organ function, presence of late complications, PAD, history of DF, levels of physical activity before and after Tx, patient education and standards of DF prevention. Results: Active DF developed in 31.6% (18/57) of patients after organ Tx within 11 months on average (10.7 ± 8 months). The following factors significantly correlated with DF development: diabetes control (p = .0065), PAD (p<0.0001), transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2;p = .01), history of DF (p = .0031), deformities (p = .0021) and increased leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) before Tx (p = .037). However, based on logistic stepwise regression analysis, the only factors significantly associated with DF during the post-transplant period were: PAD, deformities and increased LTPA. Education was provided to patients periodically (2.6 ± 2.5 times) during the observation period. Although 94.7% of patients regularly inspected their feet (4.5 ± 2.9 times/week), only 26.3% of transplant patients used appropriate footwear. Conclusions: Incidence of DF was relatively high, affecting almost 1/3 of pancreas and kidney/pancreas recipients. The predominant risk factors were: presence of PAD, foot deformities and higher LTPA before Tx. Therefore, we recommend a programme involving more detailed vascular and physical examinations and more intensive education focusing on physical activity and DF prevention in at-risk patients before transplantation.

The LongitudinAl Nationwide stuDy on Management And Real-world outComes of diabetes in India over 3 years (LANDMARC trial)

INTRODUCTION

LANDMARC (CTRI/2017/05/008452), a prospective, observational real-world study, evaluated the occurrence of diabetes complications, glycemic control and treatment patterns in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from pan-India regions over a period of 3 years.

METHODS

Participants with T2DM (≥25 to ≤60 years old at diagnosis, diabetes duration ≥2 years at the time of enrollment, with/without glycemic control and on ≥2 antidiabetic therapies) were included. The proportion of participants with macrovascular and microvascular complications, glycemic control and time to treatment adaptation over 36 months were assessed.

RESULTS

Of the 6234 participants enrolled, 5273 completed 3 years follow-up. At the end of 3-years, 205 (3.3%) and 1121 (18.0%) participants reported macrovascular and microvascular complications, respectively. Nonfatal myocardial infarction (40.0%) and neuropathy (82.0%) were the most common complications. At baseline and 3-years, 25.1% (1119/4466) and 36.6% (1356/3700) of participants had HbA1c <7%, respectively. At 3-years, population with macrovascular and microvascular complications had higher proportion of participants with uncontrolled glycemia (78.2% [79/101] and 70.3% [463/659], respectively) than those without complications (61.6% [1839/2985]). Over 3-years, majority (67.7%-73.9%) of the participants were taking only OADs (biguanides [92.2%], sulfonylureas [77.2%] and DPP-IV inhibitors [62.4%]). Addition of insulin was preferred in participants who were only on OADs at baseline, and insulin use gradually increased from 25.5% to 36.7% at the end of 3 years.

CONCLUSION

These 3-year trends highlight the burden of uncontrolled glycemia and cumulative diabetes-related complications, emphasizing the importance of optimizing diabetes management in India.

Impact of pain severity on functioning domains, sleep, and cognition in painful diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy patients

Background

Several studies have observed that painful diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy (PDPN) had an impact on the level of functioning domains and quality of sleep as well as cognitive functions. This study is aimed to explore the relationship between severity of pain and level of functioning, sleep quality, and cognitive functions among these patients. We recruited 100 diabetics with a mean HbA1C% of 7.3±0.9, diagnosed with PDPN, and included in the study with a mean age of 51±12.8 years and disease duration of 10.2±7.4 years. The following assessment was done for each patient; clinical and neurophysiology assessment, routine laboratory assessment, measuring pain severity, and average pain severity interference scores using pain visual analog scale (VAS) and brief pain inventory (BPI) short form, respectively, sleep quality assessment using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Montreal cognitive function assessment (MOCA) scales.

Results

Moderate to severe pain was recorded in 71% of patients according to the VAS pain score. The severe pain group recorded the significant highest average pain severity and interference scores in BPI and domains compared to other less pain groups with average pain intensity scores of 7.5±0.6 vs 5.3±0.8 in the moderate and 3.3±0.4 in mild pain groups. Poor sleep quality and pattern were observed in these patients with a mean PSQI score of 6.8±3.1, and the severe pain group had a significant highest score of 9.4±2.3 compared to other less group scores of 7±2.3 and 3.7±1.8. Their mean MOCA score was low 24.2±2.2. Out of them 48/100 patients had mild cognitive impairment and recorded high frequency in the severe pain group (28/32) followed by the moderate pain (15/39) group. There is a significant correlation between the score of VAS and PSQI as well as MOCA.

Conclusions

Painful DPN patients had a poor level of functioning and sleep quality as well as cognitive impairment based on pain intensity.

Trial registration

This study was registered on a clinical trial with registration number NCT03275233 on 7 September 2017.

A randomized placebo-compared study on the efficacy of classical ayurvedic pharmaceutical form versus aqueous alcoholic extracts of Phyllanthus niruri Linn. Plus Sida cordifolia Linn. In patients of diabetic sensory polyneuropathy

Background

In routine, Ayurveda practitioners prefer classical pharmaceutical form of herbal medicines in compare to modern extracts.

Objective

To explore the difference of efficiency between whole drug powder of Phyllanthus niruri plus root decoction of Sida cordifolia and modern extracts of the same in compared to placebo in patients of diabetic poly-neuropathy.

Material and methods

A randomized, partly-double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of two different pharmaceutical forms of herbal medicines over placebo in 90 patients (30 in each group) of diabetic sensory polyneuropathy for first three weeks period. After three weeks, active herbal medication groups were continued with their assigned medicaments for next 5 weeks period and all placebo-patients were randomized again into 2 groups of active medication and treated for next 8 weeks. Patients were assessed with Neuropathy Total Symptom Score 6 and sensation thresholds.

Results

Significant effect of both form of herbal medicines over placebo was found in aching pain [F (2, 49) = 6.79, p = 0.002], allodynia [F (2, 59) = 6.74, p = 0.002], burning pain [F (2, 82) = 14.66, p < 0.0001], numbness [F (2, 77) = 16.37, p < 0.0001] and pricking pain [F (2, 50) = 14.23, p < 0.0001]. After the 8 weeks period, no significant difference was identified between the effect of both the herbal treatment on aching pain (U = 220, p = 0.03), allodynia (U = 421.5, p = 0.29), burning pain (U = 881.5, p = 0.846), numbness (U = 778, p = 0.92) and pricking pain (U = 260, p = 0.15).

Conclusion

Both herbal groups have significant effect to reduce NTSS-6 score in compare to placebo. No significant difference found between the effect of two different pharmaceutical forms of Phyllanthus niruri and S. cordifolia.

•Ayurvedist prefer more classical pharmaceutical form than modern extracts of herbs.

•In this RCT, after 3 weeks period, placebo patients randomized again in both active herbal groups.

•Multiple statistical tests applied for each outcome variable.

•Both herbal groups have significant effect to reduce the NTSS-6 score in compare to placebo.

•No significant difference found between the effect of classical pharmaceutical forms and modern extract form of herbs.

Evaluation of Risk Factors for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Among Saudi Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Longer Duration of Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Neuropathy is the most common microvascular complications among diabetic patients. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the predominant variety which may associate with increased in mortality and morbidity among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and its correlation with risk factors among T2DM.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional retrospective study, data was collected from a previous cohort study conducted at the University Diabetes Center, King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data of T2DM patients were collected from case report form, included demographic data, history of chronic diabetes neuropathy, and laboratory reports. Statistical analysis includes Student`s t test, chi square test, and Pearson correlation and logistic regression were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 430 patients with T2DM data was collected and analyzed, and of them 54% were females, with the mean age of 55.88 years. The prevalence of diabetic neuropathy among study participants were 40.2%, and 73.3% of them having the subtype polyneuropathy. The mean BMI; p = 0.006, FBS; p < 0.001, HbA1c; p < 0.001, cholesterol p = 0.001, LDL; p < 0.001, and triglyceride; p < 0.001 levels were a significantly higher among participants with diabetic neuropathy than without neuropathy. The male gender (Risk Ratio: 1.294, 95% CI:1.090, 1.536) p = 0.003, fasting blood glucose (Risk Ratio: 1.157, 95% CI:1.051, 1.273) p = 0.003 Cholesterol (Risk Ratio: 1.588, 95% CI:1.174, 2.147) p = 0.003, triglyceride (Risk Ratio: 1.290, 95% CI:1.086, 1.538), p = 0.004, and LDL (Risk Ratio: 1.299, 95% CI:1.073, 1.574), p = 0.007) were found to be significant risk factors for DPN.

CONCLUSION

DPN is highly prevalent among T2DM patients in Saudi Arabia. Poor glycemic control and hyperlipidemia were associated with significantly higher risk for DPN patients among T2DM.

Prevalence of Vascular Complications Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in a Rural Health Center in South India

Introduction: Vascular complications are the major cause of morbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus. Screening for these complications is crucial in early detection and tertiary prevention. Hence, this study aimed at finding the prevalence of micro and macrovascular complications and their associated factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in a rural health center by using simple and easily available tools. Methodology: This hospital based cross sectional study was conducted in Rural Health and Training Centre (RHTC) of Sri Ramachandra medical college from Jan 2017 to Aug 2017. All type 2 diabetes patients registered at RHTC were included in the study. By the use of questionnaire, clinical examination and laboratory investigations, the prevalence of macro and microvascular complications and associated factors were ascertained. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with vascular complications of diabetes. Results: The study included 390 type 2 diabetes patients. The overall prevalence of macrovascular and microvascular complications in our study population was 29.7% and 52.1%, respectively. Among the macrovascular complications, both coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) had a prevalence rate of 15.1%. Among the microvascular complications, peripheral neuropathy (44.9%) had the highest prevalence followed by nephropathy (12.1%) and diabetic foot (7.2%). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed high HbA1c level, lower education, high postprandial blood sugar, hypertension, abdominal obesity were significantly associated with increased risk of vascular complications of diabetes. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the increased prevalence of vascular complications in Type 2 diabetes patients in rural India. Regular screening to identify those patients at risk could prevent further progression of complications.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients From 14 Countries: Estimates of the INTERPRET-DD Study

Aim: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common, severe microvascular complication of diabetes. Our study was to assess prevalence and risk factors for DPN in subjects with type 2 diabetes from 14 different countries. Methods: A total of 2,733 subjects with type 2 diabetes aged 18-65 years (45.3% men, mean duration of diabetes = 8.8 years) were included to perform this International Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes and Depression (INTERPRET-DD) study in 14 countries. After a structured questionnaire was used in face-to-face interviews to collect sociodemographic characteristics and medical records of the participating subjects, laboratory tests were carried out for clinical measurement. Depressive symptoms were diagnosed and measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The potential risk factors for DPN were determined by multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression, accounting for clustering of participants within the country. Robustness of the estimates was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of DPN across different countries was 26.71%, whereas country-specific prevalences showed considerable variation. Multivariate analysis revealed that duration of diabetes (OR: 1.08 per 1-year increase, 95% CI: 1.06-1.09), poor glycemic control (OR: 1.11 per 1% increase in HbA1c, 95% CI: 1.05-1.18), and history of hypertension (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.18-2.12), cardiovascular disease (OR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.55-2.78) and depressive symptoms (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.43-2.58) were independently and positively associated with the risk of DPN. Sensitivity analyses including or excluding patients from countries with extreme low or high prevalence of DPN yielded similar estimates in terms of trend and magnitude. Conclusions: This international study illustrates that more than a quarter of individuals with type 2 diabetes developed DPN. The prevalence was positively associated with the duration of diabetes, poor glycemic control, and history of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and depressive symptoms.

Effectiveness of customized insoles on maximum plantar pressure in diabetic foot syndrome: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Diabetic foot syndrome is a severe complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Increased maximum plantar pressure is a strong predictor that may be detrimental and cause a plantar ulcer. This present systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of customized insoles on reducing maximum plantar pressure in diabetic foot syndrome.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review (PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, Pedro, Scopus) to summarize the evidence on the customized insole on maximum plantar pressure in diabetic foot syndrome. Randomized and non-randomized studies were included in the review. The quality of the included studies was assessed independently by the two review authors with the Modified Downs and Black checklist for the assessment of the methodological quality of both randomized and non-randomized studies.

RESULTS

A total of 1512 studies screened. After the exclusion criteria, 5 studies were included in the study. The outcome measure that was considered is maximum plantar pressure and pressure-time integral.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that the practice of customized insoles could significantly reduce maximum plantar pressure. While developing an insole, parameters like contoured insoles with shape and pressure based, weight-bearing position, and duration with good adherence to footwear application can significantly reduce maximum plantar pressure.

A clinical study of the association and risk factors for lower limb neuropathy in patients with diabetic retinopathy

Purpose:

Association of peripheral neuropathy with diabetic retinopathy is known but the relationship of preclinical neuropathy with various grades of retinopathy is not well documented. This study evaluated the association of preclinical peripheral neuropathy using nerve conduction studies with various grades of retinopathy.

Methods:

Cases of diabetic retinopathy of various grades but asymptomatic for peripheral neuropathy underwent nerve conduction studies of the lower limbs using Caldwell machine and Sierra wave software. The risk factors for retinopathy and association of neuropathy with various grades of retinopathy were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results:

The overall prevalence of neuropathy was 75.6% (sensory 58.54% and combined motor and sensory 17.1%) with increase in prevalence with increase in severity of retinopathy. Duration was positively associated with neuropathy (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02–1.24; P = 0.012); moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) (OR = 5.60, P = 0.002), severe and very severe NPDR (OR = 5.8, P = 0.041), and PDR (OR = 16.05, P = 0.000) were significantly at higher risk for having neuropathy as compared to mild NPDR.

Conclusion:

Duration and severity of retinopathy are important risk factors for peripheral neuropathy. There is a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy among diabetics with retinopathy especially with severe grades, when neuropathy is diagnosed using nerve conduction studies.

The risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A meta-analysis

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), the most common chronic complication of diabetes, has become an important public health crisis worldwide. Given that DPN is extremely difficult to treat, determining its risk factors and controlling it at an early stage is critical to preventing its serious consequences and the burden of social disease. Current studies suggest that the risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy are the duration of diabetes, age, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), diabetic retinopathy (DR), smoking, and body mass Index (BMI). However, most of the aforementioned studies are cross-sectional, and the sample sizes are very limited, so the strength of causal reasoning is relatively low. The current study systematically evaluated DPN’s influencing factors in patients with type 2 diabetes using evidence-based medicine. Overall, 16 included studies (14 cross-sectional studies and 2 case-control studies including 12,116 cases) that conformed to the present criteria were included in the final analysis. The results suggested that the duration of diabetes (MD 2.5, 95% CI 1.71~3.29), age (MD 4.00, 95% CI 3.05~4.95), HbA1c (MD 0.48, 95% CI 0.33~0.64), and DR (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.74~3.16) are associated with significantly increased risks of DPN among diabetic patients, while BMI, smoking, total triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) did not indicate any risks of increasing DPN. The findings provide a scientific basis for a further understanding of the causes of type 2 diabetes complicated with peripheral neuropathy and the improvement of preventive strategies. The next step is to conduct further high-quality prospective cohort studies to validate this paper’s findings.

Effect of diverse physical rehabilitative interventions on static postural control in diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are diverse forms of rehabilitative techniques available to improve postural control in diabetic peripheral neuropathy but little is known about the efficacy of these techniques. The primary focus of this review is to find out the effectiveness of diverse rehabilitative interventions in improving postural control in type 2 induced diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Methods: Two reviewers independently scrutinized the included studies. The selected studies underwent quality assessment by PEDro scale. Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) having a score of 4 or more were included in the review. A search was conducted in PUBMED, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PROQUEST, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Google Scholar. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) related to the interventions were also taken into account. Results: A total of 563 studies were identified and finally 8 studies were included in the review process. The included studies were 3 in task-specific balance training, 1 in treadmill, 1 in strengthening, 2 in whole body vibration, and 1 study in pilates analyzing posture using static posturography. No RCTs were reportedly found under tai chi and yoga. Conclusions: Interventions related to task-specific approach in balance training, treadmill, strengthening, WBV showed improvement in static postural control. Intervention with pilates did not show any beneficial effects. However, there still remains a need for quality trials as the results of these studies were ambivalent in interpretation and quality of the studies were limited by small sample size and higher attrition rates.

Community based study to assess the prevalence of diabetic foot syndrome and associated risk factors among people with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Diabetic foot is one of the most significant and devastating complication of diabetes. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) and the associated risk factors among people with diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

A community based cross-sectional study was carried out among 620 subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) in rural areas of Udupi district. The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument was used to identify peripheral neuropathy. Ankle brachial index was used to identify peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Subjects with diabetic foot syndrome were classified according to the International Working Group on Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) classification system.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of DFS was 51.8%. Among them 31.3, 11.9 and 8.5% belonged to category 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed advancing age, low socio-economic status, sedentary physical activity and longer duration of DM were significant independent correlates of DFS.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of DFS was high among the study population; hence the screening for foot complications should start at the time of diagnosis of diabetes integrated with sustainable patient education at primary care level by training of health care providers at primary care level.

The Effect of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy on Ground Reaction Forces during Straight Walking in Stroke Survivors

Purpose. The aim of this present study was to investigate the ground reaction forces (GRFs) alterations in stroke survivors with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Methods. Ten stroke survivors with DPN, 10 stroke survivors without DPN, and 10 healthy controls with matched body weight between groups participated in this case-control cross-sectional study. Three-dimensional GRFs (anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, and vertical) were collected at a comfortable walking speed using the Nexus Vicon motion analysis system and force plate. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to analyze GRFs parameters. Results. We found significant alterations of medial-lateral forces of the nonparetic side and vertical forces of the paretic side in stroke survivors with DPN compared to stroke survivors without DPN and healthy controls. In addition, there were smaller braking and lower propulsion peak in anterior-posterior forces, smaller magnitude of medial-lateral forces, and lower first and second peak of vertical forces in stroke survivors with DPN compared to stroke survivors without DPN and healthy controls. Conclusion. The study findings identified that GRFs were affected in stroke survivors with DPN on both the paretic and the nonparetic sides. Further investigations are warranted to explore the impact of DPN on the kinematics and muscle activity related to the gait performance in stroke survivors with DPN.

Postural Control and Gait Performance in the Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review

Purpose. The aim of this paper is to review the published studies on the characteristics of impairments in the postural control and gait performance in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Methods. A review was performed by obtaining publication of all papers reporting on the postural control and gait performance in DPN from Google Scholar, Ovid, SAGE, Springerlink, Science Direct (SD), EBSCO Discovery Service, and Web of Science databases. The keywords used for searching were “postural control,” “balance,” “gait performance,” “diabetes mellitus,” and “diabetic peripheral neuropathy.” Results. Total of 4,337 studies were hit in the search. 1,524 studies were screened on their titles and citations. Then, 79 studies were screened on their abstract. Only 38 studies were eligible to be selected: 17 studies on postural control and 21 studies on the gait performance. Most previous researches were found to have strong evidence of postural control impairments and noticeable gait deficits in DPN. Deterioration of somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems with the pathologic condition of diabetes on cognitive impairment causes further instability of postural and gait performance in DPN. Conclusions. Postural instability and gait imbalance in DPN may contribute to high risk of fall incidence, especially in the geriatric population. Thus, further works are crucial to highlight this fact in the hospital based and community adults.

Epidemiology of microvascular complications of diabetes in South Asians and comparison with other ethnicities

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is widely prevalent in South Asians, and has a significant effect on health, as well as the economies of South Asian countries, particularly when the disease is associated with complications. There are certain characteristics associated with the South Asian phenotype that make South Asians especially prone to diabetes, as well as its complications. Microvascular complications cause considerable morbidity and mortality. There are significant differences in the epidemiology of microvascular complications between South Asians and people of other races. There is evidence of higher prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy in South Asians compared with Caucasians; however, recent studies indicate that this trend seems to be leveling off. Importantly, diabetic neuropathy occurs less frequently in South Asians compared with Caucasians. These observations have important implications in managing South Asian patients with diabetes and microvascular complications.

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy and its Determinants among Patients Attending a Tertiary Health Care Centre in Mangalore, India

BACKGROUND

The burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the rise especially in developing countries like India. Due to its chronic nature DM tends to cause many debilitating complications and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of them. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of DPN among patients attending a tertiary care hospital and to identify the determinants associated with it.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross sectional study was conducted in Government Wenlock Hospital, Mangalore (India), during January-February 2014. A total of 208 patients with >5 year duration of DM were asked to respond to the patient history version of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) and examinations were conducted after obtaining consent from them. The statistical analysis was done in terms of descriptive statistics and association between variables was tested using logistic regression test.

RESULTS

The prevalence of DPN using the MNSI history version and MNSI examination were found to be 18.3% and 32.2% respectively. The major determinants associated with DPN were found to be male gender (OR: 2.7, CI: 1.4-5.1, P=0.001), smoking (OR: 5.8, CI: 1.9-17.3, P=0.001) and age >40 years (OR: 2.7, CI: 1.2-5.8, P=0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

The burden of undetected DPN was found to be higher among diabetics, with an especially higher prevalence among males, smokers and those with long standing diabetes mellitus. Interventions in the form of early detection through routine screening, smoking cessation and regular follow up examinations would go a long way in reducing the burden of disability among diabetics and improve their quality of life significantly. Significance for public healthThe findings of the current research hold importance since diabetes is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality across the world. Due to its chronic nature and effects of hyperglycaemia, diabetes tends to be associated with many comorbidities, like peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy etc. The presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy leads to a reduced quality of life among diabetic patients due to the trauma and consequent gangrenes andamputation. The concept of secondary prevention can be applied to the prevention of diabetic peripheral neuropathy using easy to apply screening tools and thus help in early diagnosis and treatment to reduce the burden of this debilitating illness.

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with overweight/obese in Guangdong province, China

AIMS

To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with overweight or obese in Guangdong province in China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out on T2DM patients with overweight/obese in 60 hospitals in Guangdong province. Methods of data collection included questionnaire, clinical examination, blood draw and clinical measurement. Demographic characteristics, diagnosis of diabetes and DPN, disease history, life styles and self-management, most recent laboratory test results and physical examination were collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess risk factors of DPN.

RESULTS

A total of 3359 T2DM patients (age range 20-90 years) were recruited. The overall prevalence of DPN was 33.1%. Binary logistic regression identified age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.016, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.008, 1.024), duration of diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.072, 95% CI: 1.056, 1.087) and HbA1c (OR: 1.053, 95% CI: 1.013, 1.095) as risk factors for the presence of DPN.

CONCLUSIONS

DPN is prevalent in T2DM patients with overweight or obese in Guangdong province in China and is significantly associated with age, HbA1c and duration of diabetes.

Prevalence and risk factors of development of peripheral diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus in a tertiary care setting

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

The study was carried out to assess the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), compare the prevalence between known diabetes mellitus (KDM) and newly detected diabetes mellitus (NDDM), identify risk factors associated, its prevalence pattern and to assess if any sex-specific differences are present.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. Patients with duration of diabetes ≤6 months were considered to be NDDM. DPN was diagnosed by the combination of more than one abnormal result of 10-g monofilament, pinprick sensations and ankle reflexes, and categorized according to the severity level using vibration perception threshold. The study included 1,637 KDM and 369 NDDM patients.

RESULTS

A total of 586 participants were found to have DPN, accounting for 29.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.2-31.2) prevalence. The higher prevalence was observed in KDM compared with NDDM 33.7% (95% CI 31.42-36.01) vs 9.2% (95% CI 6.3-12.2; P < 0.001). Prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe neuropathies was 8.06, 14.55 and 6.63%, respectively. Regression analysis showed age (P < 0.001), duration of diabetes (P < 0.001), dyslipidemia (P = 0.03), glycated hemoglobin (P < 0.001), the presence of other microvascular complications (P < 0.001), macrovascular complications (P = 0.003) and alcoholic status (P < 0.033) to be associated. No sex-specific differences were observed in the mean age at diagnosis of diabetes, mean age at the diagnosis of neuropathy, and duration taken for the DPN development among females and males.

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed a high prevalence (29.2%) of DPN among north Indian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Thus, timely screening with earlier detection and intervention would be useful in preventing the progression of neuropathy.

Chronic complications in newly diagnosed patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in India

BACKGROUND

Prevalence of diabetes is on an increase in India, currently there is limited nation-wide data regarding the prevalence of chronic complications in diabetic patients at diagnosis. This information will help health-care professionals approach management more aggressively to prevent complications.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of chronic complications in newly-diagnosed Type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients in India.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey of T2D patients, diagnosed within 3 months of their first visit to the centers doing the survey. Each patient was screened for diabetic complications, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and body mass index. Family history was recorded. Standard protocols were used to make the diagnosis of retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. Data analysis was carried out using the standard statistical techniques.

RESULTS

Of the total 4,600 (males 67%, females 33%) newly diagnosed patients with T2D, majority were from the age group 41-50 years (40%). 13.15% of newly detected India T2D had neuropathy 6.1% had retinopathy and 1.06% had nephropathy. Risk factors of macro vascular complication such as hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia were observed in 23.3%, 26%, and 27% of patients respectively. Ischemic heart disease was noticed in 6%.

CONCLUSION

High prevalence of micro vascular complications was present at diagnosis along with association of CV cardiovascular risk factors among Indian T2D. In view of this, screening must be instituted for all diabetics for complications at the time of diagnosis itself.

A study of diabetes complications in an endogamous population: an emerging public health burden

AIM

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of diabetic complications namely neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy among Qatari's DM patients; and to find associations between these complications and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics in a highly consanguineous population.

DESIGN

It is an observational cohort study.

SETTING

The survey was carried out at the Hamad General Hospital and Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in the State of Qatar.

SUBJECTS

The study was conducted from May 2011 to January 2013 among Qatari nationals above 20 years of age. Of the 2346 registered with diagnosed diabetes attending Hamad General Hospital and PHC centers, 1633 (69.3%) agreed and gave their consent to take part in this study.

METHODS

Questionnaire included socio-demographic variables, body mass index (BMI), consanguinity, lifestyle habits, family history of diabetes, blood pressure and development of diabetes complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy were collected at regular intervals throughout the follow-up. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were performed.

RESULTS

Out of 1633 diabetic patients, 842 (51.6%) were males. The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy 12.4% and retinopathy was 12.5% followed by neuropathy 9.5% among diabetic population. The proportion of diabetic neuropathy and nephropathy were significantly higher among diabetic patients with age 60 years and above as compared to younger age groups (p=0.010). Nephropathy was significantly higher among male diabetic (p=0.014) and smokers (p<0.001) while diabetic neuropathy was more common among diabetic hypertensive patients (p=0.028). Multivariate logistic regression showed that Age (p=0.025), being male (p=0.045), and having high blood pressure (p=0.006) were significant predictors of diabetic neuropathy. For diabetic retinopathy, family history of DM (p<0.001), consanguinity (p=0.010), having high blood pressure (p=0.042) and physical activity (p<0.001) were significant predictors of diabetic retinopathy. Meanwhile, for diabetic nephropathy, age (p<0.001), smoking (p=0.045), physical activity (p<0.001) hypertension (p<0.001) and gender (p=0.012) were the significant predictors.

CONCLUSION

Diabetes exerts a significant burden in Qatar, and this is expected to increase. Many diabetic patients face significant challenges accessing diagnosis and treatment, which contributes to the high morbidity and mortality and prevalence of complications observed. The significant interactions between diabetes and associated complications highlight the need and opportunity for health planners to develop integrated responses to communicable and non-communicable diseases.