Electrophysiological findings in newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetics: a prospective study

ABSTRACT

This study reports the electrophysiological findings in patients with newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] studied in the Neurodiagnostic Laboratory of the King Fahd Hospital of the University [KFHU], Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-nine patients [22 males, 7 females, mean ages 47 and 37 years, respectively] were studied within four weeks of establishing the diagnosis. They were all given nerve conduction studies by the same examiner. Comparison was made with data from a group of 64 normal control subjects. In the study patients, the mean distal sensory peak latency in milliseconds [ms] +/- standard deviation [SD] was 3.5 +/- 0.41 ms in 35 median nerves, 3.2 +/- 0.72 ms in 35 ulnar nerves, 1.9 +/- 0.34 ms in 23 superficial radial nerves and 3.5 +/- 0.61 in 36 sural nerves. The mean distal motor latency +/- SD was 4.6 +/- 0.95 ms in 39 median nerves, 3.5 +/- 0.58 ms in 38 ulnar nerves, 4.8 +/- 1.02 ms in 44 tibial nerves and 6.0 +/- 1.08 ms in 36 peroneal nerves. The electromyogram examination was performed on 24 patients and showed evidence of denervation and/or chronic reinnervation in seven [29%]. The frequency of abnormalities in the studied peripheral nerves was 60% for median, 63% ulnar, 33% peroneal, 16% tibial and 8% sural