2020, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Part A

Background: The catastrophic effects of peripheral neuropathy on morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes and at risk of acquiring diabetes make early screening for its existence and related risk factors advisable. As a result of the global development of diabetes, many people in India are feeling its effects. Among the many symptoms of diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy stands out.

Methods: A cross-sectional approach was employed in this observational study. This study aims to investigate the incidence of distal sensory peripheral neuropathy by conducting a survey among patients attending the Outpatient clinic at the Department of General Medicine, Sree Lakshmi Narayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India between January 2019 to December 2019. This study employed a total of 150 patents.

Results: The average age of the participants in this study was 56 years and 3 months. Most of the patients fell between the age ranges of 50 to 59. Out of a total of 216 cases, 110 were identified as male and 106 as female. The ratio of males to females was 1.04. The prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in this sample was found to be 28.24%. Evidence demonstrated that 52.5% of individuals diagnosed with DPN also exhibited systemic hypertension. The prevalence of aberrant waist circumference among individuals with peripheral neuropathy was found to be 52.46 percent.

Conclusion: The pre-diabetic group with peripheral neuropathy exhibited significantly higher prevalence rates of age, hypertension, smoking, obesity, dyslipidemia, and raised HbA1c values. Peripheral neuropathy is frequently observed in individuals with a predisposition to diabetes.