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Summary Objectives Metabolic abnormalities, such as, glycemic disorders and metabolic syndrome (GDMS) are one of the main causes of peripheral neuropathies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of adding specific coaching care (CC) to standard care (SC) of therapeutic education based on lifestyle recommendations for neuropathies associated with GDMS. Methods This prospective randomized study included two groups of four patients (SC vs. CC) with examiners blinded to group allocation. The SC group had one day of therapeutic education on lifestyle measures (physical activity and diet recommendations) followed by only one phone call of reinforcement. The CC group received an additional weekly phone call of reinforcement for 3 months. Clinical, biological and neurophysiological variables were compared between the two groups at baseline and for the percentage of change at 3 months. Results All patients (4 men and 4 women) had diabetes or pre-diabetes, which was associated with metabolic syndrome in 5 cases. There was no difference on any variable at baseline, but at 3 months, Mann-Whitney test showed a difference (P = 0.0008) between the two groups regarding the sensory neurophysiological variable, which deteriorated in the SC group (median: −6.0%) and improved in the CC group (median: +12.4%). No significant difference was observed between the two groups for the other variables at 3 months. Conclusion The weekly coaching of recommendations for lifestyle measures over a period of three months allows an improvement of GDMS neuropathies, at least in terms of sensory aspects, as evidenced by neurophysiological assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] In 74 patients, quantitative sensory testing was performed to characterize the changes induced by peripheral neuropathy, especially associated with pain. [•] The presence or absence of pain was not associated with differences in sensory thresholds, regarding either detection or pain thresholds for mechanical and thermal sensations. [•] However, the intensity of pain, when present, increased with thermal and pain threshold alteration, showing complex relationship between pain and small fiber dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]