[Autonomic neuropathy: a high risk complication for type 1 diabetes mellitus]

The pathological alteration of the nervous system in diabetic patients is extensive and frequently severe. The prevalence of the diabetic neuropathy reach high levels with the evolution of the diabetes, often showing frequencies higher than 50% in several groups of patients. The neurological lesion in this pathological situation is extensive in the diabetic patient, including widely the peripheral nervous system with its components sensory, motor and autonomic: with typical symptoms and in accordance with the pathogenesis of metabolic origin and/or microvascular disease. The autonomic nervous system is a main regulator of many systems in the human body. Then its lesion can promote significant alterations in the function of the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital system, that can be related to increased motality. This review anlyses the abnormalities related to lesion of the autonomic nervous system, particularly in type 1 diabetic patients, trying to characterize the risk of morbidity and mortality.