Temporal trend of small nerve fibre degeneration in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Published in: Diabetic medicine 2022-03, Vol.39 (3), p.e14691-n/a
• Main Authors: Ekman, Linnéa, Pourhamidi, Kaveh, Englund, Elisabet, Lagali, Neil, Rolandsson, Olov, Dahlin, Lars B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Biopsy; Body weight; Clinical Medicine; Degeneration; Diabetes; diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Endocrinology and Diabetes; Endokrinologi och diabetes; intraepidermal nerve fibre density; Klinisk medicin; Longitudinal studies; longitudinal study; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; peripheral neuropathy; Population studies; Protein gene product 9.5; skin biopsy
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/dme.14691

Aims We investigated the long‐term temporal trend of intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) and the association between changes in IENFD and metabolic factors in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 66 participants were enrolled in this longitudinal population‐based study, at baseline consisting of 35 individuals (median 61 years) without diabetes and 31 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Participants underwent clinical and electrophysiological examinations, as well as a skin biopsy both at baseline and at the follow‐up visit (mean 8.1 ± 0.5 years). IENFD was assessed in thin sections of 5 μm, stained with the protein gene product 9.5‐antibody and compared between the groups. Results IENFD decreased during the period in both groups, with a greater decline in the group without diabetes than in type 2 diabetes (−2.3 and −0.6 fibres/mm respectively; p