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. 2008 Oct 15;273(1-2):25-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2008.06.005. Epub 2008 Jul 7.

Idiopathic neuropathy patients are at high risk for metabolic syndrome

A Gordon Smith  1 , Kristi Rose, J Robinson Singleton
Affiliations

Idiopathic neuropathy patients are at high risk for metabolic syndrome

A Gordon Smith et al. J Neurol Sci. .

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic neuropathy patients are at high risk of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Hyperglycemia, low high density lipoprotein (HDL), elevated triglycerides (TRG), hypertension and central obesity co-associate and constitute the metabolic syndrome. Patients with hyperglycemia are at high risk of having the syndrome and each of its features. Our null hypothesis was that patients with neuropathy and IGT would have a higher prevalence of other metabolic syndrome features than those without hyperglycemia. The primary objective was to determine if metabolic syndrome features other than hyperglycemia increase neuropathy risk.

Methods: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome features was determined among 219 sequential patients with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. Subjects were classified as having IGT or normoglycemia. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was compared to published population prevalence data. To compensate for potential referral bias, data were also compared for175 diabetic subjects without neuropathy, given the well-recognized risk of metabolic syndrome among diabetic individuals.

Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, neuropathy patients with normoglycemia and IGT shared a similarly elevated prevalence of metabolic syndrome features compared to published normal populations. Compared to diabetic subjects without neuropathy, the normoglycemic neuropathy patients had significantly higher total and LDL cholesterol, and a higher prevalence of abnormal HDL and triglycerides. The prevalence of obesity and hypertension was similar among patient groups. Normoglycemic neuropathy subjects had significantly more features of metabolic syndrome (other than hyperglycemia) than diabetics.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate an association between neuropathy and metabolic syndrome features other than hyperglycemia. Lipid abnormalities are particularly prevalent among neuropathy subjects.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among evaluated cohorts. Both male and female IGT and NGT neuropathy patients had a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome that several large population based cohorts (p<0.001) -.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of features of metabolic syndrome in neuropathy patients compared to published population controls. NGT neuropathy patients had a significantly higher rate of dyslipidemia and hypertension when compared to NGT patients participating in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (p<0.001). Female neuropathy patients were significantly more obese (p<0.001) although there was no difference between men .
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References

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