Peripheral neuropathy in type-II diabetic patients attending diabetic clinics in Al-Azhar University Hospitals, Egypt

BackgroundPeripheral neuropathy (PN) is a common neurological complication in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) which affects their quality of life.ObjectiveTo determine the frequency of PN and the risk factors associated with its occurrence in the studied diabetic patients.Subjects and methodsA cross sectional study was conducted in Al-Azhar University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. The study recruited 300 patients with type-II DM who attending the outpatient diabetic clinics in the studied hospitals, from October 1st 2005 through January 2006. A clinical neurological examination was conducted for all patients using the Michigan Neuropathy Diabetic Scoring (MNDS) criteria for diagnosis of PN. Subsequently, we considered patients with PN as study cases, and those without PN as controls to assess the risk factors associated with PN. Statistical analysis including multivariate logistic regression analysis was done.ResultsThe frequency of PN among the studied subjects was 29.7%. Related risk factors were: older age above 60 years (odds ratio (OR) = 73.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 14.2–377.2), associated moderate to severe hypertension (OR = 10.2; 95% CI = 2.8–38.0) and associated ischemic heart disease (IHD) (OR = 3.80; 95% CI = 1.50–9.80), poor control of DM (OR = 9.1; 95% CI = 2.6–32.1), and duration of DM. The risk of PN, however, was significantly reduced among married patients and those reported high educational and family income levels.ConclusionsDiabetic PN is a considerable complication of DM. The related risk factors were old age, prolonged and poorly controlled DM and associated medical disorders.