ABSTRACT
Introduction: Decrement in balance control ability in individuals with diabetic neuropathy may affect their daily living activities and lead to hazardous consequences such as falls and foot ulcer. Thus, it is important to predict balance impairment in this population as early as possible. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the duration of diabetes and balance impairment in people with diabetic neuropathy
Materials and Methods: Thirty diabetic patients, diagnosed with neuropathy participated in this study. We used a personal information questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire and the Berg Balance Scale [BBS] to evaluate basic medical status, cognitive function and functional balance, respectively. Univariate regression tests were used for statistical analysis
Results: Our findings showed a significant association between the duration of diabetes and balance control [p<0.01 and standardized beta=-0.509]. When adjusting for height, weight, body mass index and cognitive score, the association between the duration of diabetes and BBS score enhanced significantly [p<0.01 and standardized beta= -0.565, -0.527, -0.550 and -0.548, respectively]. Moreover, duration of diabetes could explained 25 to 45 percent of balance control impairments in people with diabetic neuropathy
Conclusion: Diabetes duration is a significant predictor of balance impairment in people with diabetic neuropathy. It could be used as a very simple factor to predict possible future balance impairments in these patients