Causality between sarcopenia and diabetic neuropathy

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neurology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Diabetic neuropathy is linked to sarcopenia, but the causal relationship remains unclear.
• Investigating this link is crucial for understanding disease progression and developing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the causal relationship between diabetic neuropathy and sarcopenia using Mendelian randomization (MR) and cross-sectional data.
• To identify specific sarcopenia traits that causally influence or are influenced by diabetic neuropathy.

Main Methods:

• A bi-directional two-sample MR study utilized genome-wide association studies data from UK Biobank and the European Working Group on Sarcopenia.
• MR analyses assessed causality between diabetic neuropathy and appendicular lean mass (ALM), walking speed, and hand grip strength.
• A cross-sectional study of 196 Type 2 diabetes patients analyzed the association between distal peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and sarcopenia features.

Main Results:

• Forward MR indicated decreased walking speed and increased ALM causally affect diabetic neuropathy.
• Reverse MR showed diabetic neuropathy causally affects decreased walking speed and low grip strength.
• Cross-sectional analysis revealed inverse associations between 5-time stand time, 6-meter walking speed, and DPN; ASMI and 5-time stand time were independent risk factors for DPN.

Conclusions:

• Mendelian randomization suggests a causal relationship between diabetic neuropathy and sarcopenia traits.
• Cross-sectional findings confirm that sarcopenia indexes are significant predictors of diabetic neuropathy.