Neuroelectric procedure does not discriminate between painful and paresthetic diabetic neuropathy

To investigate whether pain and paresthesias could identify two different subclasses of small-fibre diabetic neuropathy, and to evaluate their relation to the metabolic control, we tested nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of median nerve (sensitive-SM, and motor-MM) and deep peroneal nerve (DP) in 48 diabetics (24 IDDM, 24 NIDDM) reporting pain (group A) or paresthesias (group B) that might be due to diabetic polyneuropathy. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was also assessed. No difference between group A and group B was found either in NCV, in all nerves tested, or in HbA1c. No relation was observed between NCV of nerves tested and HbA1c, duration of diabetes, age and type of diabetes in both groups.