Autonomic disturbances in relation to sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy in diabetes mellitus

Thirty patients with diabetes mellitus were investigated. Twenty-seven had clinical signs of a symmetrical sensory or sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Features of autonomic dysfunction were found in 17 patients. Nerve conduction was studied in the femoral, deep peroneal, saphenous, sural and sensory and motor fibres of the posterior tibial nerves. The postural heart rate response was tested in all of the 30 patients. There was only a weak correlation between autonomic disturbances and sensorimotor polyneuropathy, based either on clinical or on electrophysiological results. Thus a multifactorial causation is suspected.