Axonal swellings are related to type 2 diabetes, but not to distal diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy.

ABSTRACT:

Aims/hypothesis

Distal diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP) is a common complication of diabetes with many patients showing a reduction of intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) from skin biopsy, a validated and sensitive diagnostic tool for the assessment of DSP. Axonal swelling ratio is a morphological quantification altered in DSP. It is, however, unclear if axonal swellings are related to diabetes or DSP. The aim of this study was to investigate how axonal swellings in cutaneous nerve fibres are related to type 2 diabetes mellitus, DSP and neuropathic pain in a well-defined cohort of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

A total of 249 participants, from the Pain in Neuropathy Study (UK) and the International Diabetic Neuropathy Consortium (Denmark),

SUBMITTER: Karlsson P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7940290 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature