Diabetes neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes, and neuropathic pain has a detrimental impact on qualityoflife.Thisstudyinvestigatedsensorynerveexcitability properties to elucidate the axonal changes of diabetic neuropathy. A total of 95 diabetes patients (93 type II, and 2 type I) were enrolled in this study. Clinical assessment, nerve conduction studies, and nerve excitability testing data were analyzed to determine axonal dysfunction in diabetic neuropathy. Among those patients, seventeen subjects had complained of spontaneous painful sensation over feet or hands (painful cohort), and seventy-eight patients had no sensory symptoms or decreased the sensation over foot (non-painful cohort). Sensory nerve excitability of the painful cohort showed reduced late subexcitability (P=0.01), increased superexcitability (P=0.03) in compared to the non-painful cohort. There is no difference in disease duration, blood glucose levels (HbA1c) between these two cohorts. These findings suggested the possible pathogenesis of painful sensory axons might be hyperpolarized or slow potassium channels dysfunction. These insights our further understanding of painful diabetic neuropathy, and may provide a basis for neuroprotective or therapeutic approaches for painful polyneuropathy.
Date:
2017-09
Relation:
Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System. 2017 Sep;22(3):258.
