Clinical and metabolic study of diabetic neuropathy

The present study included 150 patients with non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. They were 111 males and 39 females, aged from 31-66 with a mean age of 50 +/- 7.4 years. The duration of diabetes mellitus ranged from 3-25 years with a mean duration of 8.6 +/- 3.9 years. Clinical results showed that 67 cases of the 150 diabetic patients [44.7 percent] had symptomatic peripheral neuropathy. Out of them, 21 [14 percent] cases had subjective symptoms of neuropathy without objective signs and 46 cases [30.7 percent] showed symptoms and signs of diabetic polyneuropathy. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy was detected in 24 [16 percent] patients; all of them had objective neuropathy. Also diabetic cranial neuropathy was present in 2 [1.3 percent] subjects. There were positive correlations between duration of diabetes and severity of hyperglycemia as well as clinical severity; while age had statistically non significant correlation with both

treatment of inflammatory polyneuropathy by plasma exchange

Observations were reported on six patients with inflammatory polyneuropathy who were treated by plasma exchange. In four cases the polyneuropathy was acute and in two cases it was chronic relapsing. Two acute cases and one chronic relapsing case had plasma exchange during a rapidly progressive phase of the disease, and showed a prompt and substantial recovery of function. The other three patients were exchanged when disease activity had reached a plateau. Only minor degrees of improvement were seen in two of these cases. One patient showed an initial mild deterioration before subsequent recovery. There were no significant side effects