ABSTRACT
Background: Few studies have investigated the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic neuropathy. Present study aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Materials and methods: In this semi-experimental trial, 30 diabetic subjects aged over 35 years with peripheral neuropathy with serum levels of vitamin D less than 30ng/ml, were sequentially selected. The NSS questionnaire [Neuropathy Symptom Score] used to determine the severity of the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy [subjective data] and NDS questionnaire [Neuropathy Disability Score] used for symptoms of neuropathy [objective information]. Participants were treated by 50,000 IU/week of oral vitamin D for 10 weeks
Results: 30 patients with mean age of 60.1 years, including 10 [33%] men, were studied. 83.3% had serum vitamin D deficiency [under 20ng/mL] and 16.7% had serum vitamin D insufficiency [20-30ng/mL]. Mean [+/- standard deviation] serum vitamin D levels was 14.37+/-5.86 ng/mL. Seventy percent of participants showed a significant decrease in NSS scores [p=0.02], as well as declining in mean of their scores [p<0.05] before and after the prescription of vitamin D. By contrast, there seems to be no significant changes in NDS scores at that interval [p=0.748]
Conclusion: Prescription of vitamin D for 3 months improved the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy in diabetic patients regarding NSS; however, NDS showed no changes in the examinations of participants