Brainstem auditory evoked potentials study in patients with diabetes mellitus

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Diabetology
• Neurophysiology

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a systemic disease affecting multiple organs, including the nervous system.
• Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication, potentially impacting auditory pathways.
• Brainstem-auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and nerve conduction (NC) studies are electrophysiological tools to assess neurological function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between BAEP and NC findings in patients with DM.
• To identify electrophysiological markers associated with diabetic neuropathy.
• To explore the correlation between auditory pathway function and peripheral nerve conduction in DM.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of neurological screening tests including BAEP and NC studies.
• Comparison between a group of DM patients and a control group.
• Subgroup analysis of DM patients based on neuropathy, non-neuropathy, infarct, and non-infarct status.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in inter-peak latencies (IPL) II-IV and I-V of BAEP were observed between DM and control groups.
• The DM neuropathy subgroup showed statistically significant prolongation in IPL I-III compared to non-neuropathy DM and control subgroups.
• IPL I-III demonstrated a moderate correlation (r=0.334) with tibial motor nerve conduction velocity.

Conclusions:

• Patients with DM exhibit prolonged IPL I-III, indicative of acoustic neuropathy, especially in those with established neuropathy.
• Acoustic neuropathy is the likely explanation for the observed BAEP changes in DM patients.
• Tibial motor, median sensory, and sural nerve conduction velocities are correlated with acoustic neuropathy in the diabetic population.