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Post-ischaemic paraesthesiae in diabetes mellitus
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|April 1, 1973
Summary
Diabetic subjects exhibit a significantly reduced ability to feel tingling sensations after reduced blood flow (ischaemia). This impairment correlates with diabetes duration and severity, particularly in juvenile-onset diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Diabetology
- Physiology
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disorder with diverse systemic complications.
- Peripheral nerve function can be affected in individuals with diabetes.
- Understanding sensory nerve responses in diabetes is crucial for managing complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess post-ischaemic paraesthesia in diabetic individuals compared to healthy controls.
- To investigate the relationship between paraesthetic response and diabetes duration, metabolic control, and type of diabetes.
- To explore the association between paraesthetic response and peripheral neuropathy in diabetes.
Main Methods:
- A quantitative assessment of post-ischaemic paraesthesia was performed.
- Fifty diabetic subjects and age-matched healthy controls participated.
- Data were analyzed to correlate paraesthetic response with clinical parameters.
Main Results:
- Diabetic subjects showed a highly significant diminution in the paraesthetic response.
- Reduced paraesthesia correlated with longer diabetes duration and greater metabolic abnormality (insulin dependence).
- Juvenile-onset diabetes had a more pronounced deficit than maturity-onset diabetes; no consistent link with peripheral neuropathy was found.
Conclusions:
- Diabetes significantly impairs the sensory nerve's ability to generate tingling sensations after ischaemia.
- The degree of impairment is linked to diabetes severity and duration, suggesting a progressive effect.
- These findings highlight the impact of diabetes on nerve excitability and the ionic micro-environment.