Evaluation of The Frequency of Subclinical Peripheral Neuropathy Among Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Using Nerve Conduction Studies

Hadeer Ashraf Abdulwahab, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, EgyptFollow
Ann A. Abdelkader, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Nanees Salem, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt
Bothina Hasaneen, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt

Subject Area

Neuropsychiatry

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background: The long-term vascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) include nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and macrovascular diseases, so the aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of subclinical peripheral neuropathy among children and adolescents with Type 1 DM using nerve conduction studies (NCSs) in relation to diabetesrelated clinical and metabolic parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 children and adolescents with T1D. The patients were divided into 2 groups, symptomatic group who had symptoms or signs of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) and asymptomatic group who had no signs or symptoms of polyneuropathy. NCSs were conducted and sensory NCS were performed in 4 motor nerves (median, ulnar, tibial, and peroneal), and 3 sensory nerves (median, ulnar, and sural). Results: Microalbuminuria, mean HbA1c, total cholesterol, TGS, and LDL were higher among symptomatic cases than asymptomatic cases, mean HDL was higher among Asymptomatic cases than symptomatic cases. Abnormalities in nerve conduction by NCSs in asymptomatic group were distributed as; 69.2% in tibial nerve, 61.5% median sensory, 43.6% in ulnar sensory nerve, 35.9% in ulnar motor nerve, 33.3% in sural nerve, 25.6% in peroneal nerve, 17.9% median motor with total nerve conduction abnormality is 79.5%. Binary logistic regression showed that increase in the frequency of DKA was associated with increase in risk of abnormal nerve conduction among studied cases. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of subclinical peripheral neuropathy in children and adolescents with T1D. Nerve conduction studies are the gold-standard method for the detection of subclinical peripheral neuropathy.

Recommended Citation

Abdulwahab, Hadeer Ashraf; Abdelkader, Ann A.; Salem, Nanees; and Hasaneen, Bothina (2026) "Evaluation of The Frequency of Subclinical Peripheral Neuropathy Among Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Using Nerve Conduction Studies," Mansoura Medical Journal: Vol. 55 : Iss. 2 , Article 12.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.58775/2735-3990.1525