High Prevalence and Incidence of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Results From a Five-Year Prospective Cohort Study

The prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus was high, and there was a rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy during a five-year follow-up interval. Importantly, our data show that a mere clinical evaluation is not sensitive enough to diagnose diabetic peripheral neuropathy in these patients. Nerve conduction velocity measurement, which is regarded as the gold standard for the assessment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, should be applied more broadly.