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[Their clinical correlation (author's transl)]
No to Shinkei = Brain and Nerve
|March 1, 1981
Summary
Diabetic neuropathy often involves reduced nerve fiber density, particularly unmyelinated fibers, correlating with sensory disturbance duration. Axonal degeneration appears to be the primary pathological change in sural nerves.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pathology
Background:
- Diabetic polyneuropathy is a common complication.
- Sural nerve morphometry provides insights into nerve damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sural nerve morphometric changes in diabetic patients.
- To correlate clinical findings with nerve fiber densities.
Main Methods:
- Morphometric analysis of sural nerve biopsies.
- Retrospective review of clinical findings.
- Teased fiber analysis and perivascular space measurement.
Main Results:
- Reduced myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fiber densities observed in most diabetic patients.
- Axonal degeneration identified as a likely primary pathological change.
- Increased perivascular space thickness in endoneurial small vessels of diabetic patients.
Conclusions:
- Nerve fiber density reduction, especially unmyelinated fibers, is linked to sensory disturbance duration in diabetes.
- Axonal degeneration is the predominant pathology in sural nerves.
- No strong correlation found between motor disturbance, pain, retinopathy, and nerve fiber density.