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Updated: May 24, 2026

Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1
Published on: February 13, 2018
Metabolic syndrome in small fiber sensory neuropathy
Lan Zhou1, Jianbo Li, Daniel Ontaneda
1Neuromuscular Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. ZHOUL2@CCF.ORG
Objectives:
To determine the prevalence and risk of metabolic syndrome in patients with small fiber sensory neuropathy (SFSN).
Methods:
We searched our skin biopsy database and identified 194 subjects for this retrospective study. Of these 194 subjects, 43 had normal skin biopsies and 151 had mild, moderate, or severe length-dependent SFSN with no large fiber involvement. Fifty-four subjects had diabetic or prediabetic SFSN and 97 had idiopathic SFSN.
Results:
The mean age of the neuropathy group was older (54.1 ± 11.9 years) than the normal biopsy group (44.8 ± 13.0, P < 0.001). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher in the neuropathy group (27.8%) than in the normal biopsy group (2.3%, P < 0.001). Age was not different among three neuropathy subgroups. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher in the severe (38.1%) than in the moderate (26.0%) and mild (14.7%) neuropathy groups (P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis revealed that age (odds ratio [OR], 1.95; P < 0.001), metabolic syndrome (OR, 3.20; P < 0.001), hypertension (OR, 1.88; P = 0.04), and obesity (OR, 1.93; P = 0.004) were independent risk factors for SFSN.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increased in patients with SFSN and it correlates with the severity of SFSN. Metabolic syndrome may represent an independent risk factor for SFSN.
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