Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Diabetes is known as a risk factor of microangiopathy which generally appear concomitantly. Diabetes is also the most common cause of peripheral polyneuropathy and all these complications are related to chronic hyperglycemia. The main objective of the present study is to determine the prevalence of the diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and its characteristics in people with normoalbuminuria.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted over 4 months in ward A of The National Institute of Nutrition Tunis which included patients with diabetes mellitus and normoalbuminuria.

Results: Fourty-five patients were included of whom were 32 women and 13 men. The characteristics of the patients were respectively: age: 49±17.34 years, type 2 diabetes: 32 patients, type 1 diabetes: 11 patients, diabetes typing in progress: 2 patients, HbA1C: 10.18±2.01%, duration of diabetes more than 10 years: 25 patients, duration of diabetes less than 10 years: 20 patients. The diagnosis of painful diabetic neuropathy was evaluated by using the questionnaire Douleur Neuropathique (DN4) and diagnosed when DN4 is more than or equal to 4/10. Results have shown that 38 patients which means 84.4% of the population had no painful diabetic neuropathy. The percentage of DPN among non-smokers was 8.3%, while 28.5% of active smokers had DPN, without a statistically significant correlation (P=0.18). DPN was more frequent in these cases: patients with type 2 diabetes (16.66%), diabetes with a duration less than 10 years (8.3%) and non-controlled diabetes. There wasn’t a statistically significant correlation in all these cases, (P=0.19), (P=0.38) and (P=0.31), respectively.

Conclusion: It is important to screen the painful diabetic neuropathy in all diabetics regardless of the patient profile or even the glycemic profile especially in the absence of other microangiopathies in order to prevent complications.