Prevalence and Risk Factors of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is common among people with diabetes and can result in foot ulceration and amputation. Objective: The objective of the study is to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of DPN among patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at a diabetes clinic in Benghazi Medical Center (BMC), Benghazi, Libya. Patients and Methods: Three hundred and sixty-seven patients with T2DM (127 [34.6%] males and 240 [65.4%] females) were included in this cross-sectional study. The patients aged >= 18 years, and they attended the outpatient diabetes clinics at BMC from May 2015 to October 2016, for routine follow-up. Patients with T1DM, gestational diabetes, and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults were excluded. Data including gender, age, type of DM, duration of DM, history of smoking, history of hypertension, weight, height, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, creatinine, and urea were obtained by a prepared pro forma. Peripheral neuropathy was diagnosed in the presence of numbness, paresthesia, 10-g monofilament examination, and loss of vibration and joint position sensations. The relationship between DPN and its risk factors, in addition to independent predictors of DPN, was explored using multiple forward stepwise logistic regression and presented as an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The prevalence of DPN was 30.5% in the studied group. A statistical significant association found between DPN and age (P = 0.014), duration of DM (P < 0.001), macrovascular complications of DM (P < 0.001), diabetic retinopathy (P = 0.001), diabetic nephropathy (P < 0.001), poor glycemic control (high HbA1c) (P < 0.001), hypertension (P = 0.011), uncontrolled blood pressure (>= 140/90 mmHg) (P = 0.007), and insulin treatment (P < 0.001). Multiple forward stepwise logistic regression analyses revealed two independent risk factors influencing DPN: diabetic nephropathy (OR = 1.976, 95% CI: 1.289-3.027) (P = 0.009) and insulin treatment (OR = 3.430, 95% CI: 2.021-5.821), (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The overall prevalence rate of DPN in this study was 30.5% among patients with T2DM. It increases with the presence of diabetic nephropathy and insulin treatment.