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Background: The relationship between cardiovascular disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy is mainly sustained by data retrieved from cross-sectional studies focused on cardiovascular risk factors. We aimed to assess the presence of cardiovascular disease as a risk factor for developing diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a type 2 diabetes mellitus population. Method: A 10-year prospective, primary care, multicentre study in a randomly selected cohort. Cardiovascular disease presence included stroke, coronary artery disease and/or peripheral ischaemia. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy diagnosis was based on clinical neurological examination as well as the neuropathy symptoms score and nerve conduction studies. Results: Three hundred and ten (N=310) patients were initially recruited. Two-hundred and sixty seven (N=267) patients were included in the study. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy cumulative incidence was 18.3% (95% confidence intervals 14.1–23.4; N=49). Diabetic peripheral neuropathy development was significantly more frequent in participants presenting with cardiovascular disease at baseline (P=0.01). In the final logistic regression analysis, the presence of cardiovascular disease remained associated with an increased risk for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (odds ratio 2.32, 95% confidence intervals 1.03–5.22) in addition to diabetes duration and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. Conclusions: In our series, type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with cardiovascular disease at baseline present with an increased risk of developing diabetic peripheral neuropathy at 10 years of follow-up. Our results suggest that measures aimed at the prevention, control and treatment of cardiovascular disease can also help prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) and develop a simple and accurate method for the evaluation of DPN risk in primary care settings. Materials and methods Cross-sectional descriptive study in a random sample ( N = 307) of type 2 diabetes mellitus participants. DPN was diagnosed by both clinical neurological examination and simplified DPN Selection Method in each patient. Correlation between the two methods was obtained Results Prevalence of DPN was 23·13% (confidence interval,18·38–27·87) according to clinical neurological examination. Noteworthy, clinical neurological evaluation scores were related to nerve conduction studies ( r = 0·882; P < 0·0005). DPN presence was positively related to age, metabolic control (HbA1c levels), known duration of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, peripheral ischemia and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but was negatively related to current high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels ( P < 0·0001). The sensitivity and specificity of our DPN Selection Method (using four clinical parameters: age, retinopathy, HbA1c and HDL-C plasma levels) for diagnosis of DPN was 74·20% and 74·90%, respectively. Conclusions The expected prevalence of DPN was observed. The sensitivity of the DPN Selection Method correlated well with formal clinical neurological exam in detection of the condition. We therefore conclude the DPN Selection Method is a useful tool in primary care settings in the evaluation and diagnosis of DPN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]