EARLY INVOLVEMENT OF CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM TYPE-I DIABETIC-PATIENTS

OBJECTIVE-To investigate whether the asymptomatic involvement of the c entral and peripheral nervous systems may be an early complication of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We studied early impairment of t he central and peripheral nervous system pathways in 15 type I diabeti c patients with good metabolic control and short disease duration and in 10 healthy control subjects using a set of neurophysiological tests . RESULTS-Results in diabetic subjects showed 1) impairment of motor ( 7%) and somatosensory (13%) pathways of the central nervous system, 2) impairment of motor and sensory conduction velocities (40-60%), and 3 ) normal values of the vibration perception threshold and cardiovascul ar autonomic tests. CONCLUSIONS-The damage is more evident in peripher al sites where hyperglycemia and aldose reductase pathways are more ac tive. Instead, several episodes of hypoglycemia, which occur in type I diabetic patients in good metabolic control, may cause alterations of brain nervous cells.