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Sensory thresholds in older adults: reproducibility and reference values
J N de Neeling1, P J Beks, F W Bertelsmann
1Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Muscle & Nerve
|April 1, 1994
Summary
Vibratory perception (VPT) testing is more reproducible than thermal discrimination (TDT) in older adults. VPT reproducibility decreases with age and is better in men, unaffected by diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gerontology
- Diabetology
Background:
- Assessing sensory perception in the lower limbs is crucial for detecting neuropathy in older adults.
- Vibratory perception (VPT) and thermal discrimination (TDT) are key tests for evaluating peripheral nerve function.
- Reproducibility of these tests is essential for reliable clinical assessment, especially in aging populations and those with diabetes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the test-retest reproducibility of vibratory perception (VPT) and thermal discrimination (TDT) thresholds on the foot in older adults.
- To establish age-, height-, and sex-adjusted reference values for VPT and TDT.
- To investigate the influence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus on the reproducibility of these sensory thresholds.
Main Methods:
- Examined 39 older adults (50-76 years), with and without diabetes, for test-retest reproducibility.
- Determined reference values using data from 216 subjects with normal glucose tolerance, analyzing relationships with age, height, and sex.
- Calculated reliability coefficients to compare VPT and TDT reproducibility.
Main Results:
- Vibratory perception (VPT) demonstrated higher reproducibility (reliability coefficient 0.89) compared to thermal discrimination (TDT) (0.54).
- VPT reproducibility was inversely related to age and better in men than women.
- Neither diabetes nor glycemic level impacted the reproducibility of either threshold. Both thresholds correlated with age and height, with women exhibiting higher VPT than men.
Conclusions:
- VPT is a more reproducible measure of foot sensation in older adults than TDT.
- Age and sex are significant factors influencing VPT reproducibility, while height influences absolute threshold values.
- The findings suggest that VPT can be reliably used in older populations, with considerations for age and sex in interpretation, and is not significantly affected by diabetes status in terms of reproducibility.