Severity of Autonomic and Sensory Neuropathy and the Impairment of Visual- and Auditory-Evoked Potentials in Type 1 Diabetes
Is there a relationship?
- Tamás T. Várkonyi, MD, PHD1,
- Éva Börcsök, MD1,
- Ferenc Tóth2,
- Zsuzsanna Fülöp, MD3,
- Róbert Takács, MD1,
- László Rovó, MD, PHD2,
- Csaba Lengyel, MD, PHD1,
- József Géza Kiss, PHD2,
- Márta Janáky, MD, PHD2,
- Zsolt Hermányi, MD4,
- Péter Kempler, MD, PHD, DSC4 and
- János Lonovics, MD, PHD, DSC1
- 1First Department of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- 2Department of Otolaryngology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- 3Department of Ophthalmology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- 4First Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Address correspondence to Dr. Tamás Várkonyi, University of Szeged, First Department of Medicine, H-6701, Szeged, P.O. Box 469, Hungary. E-mail: vart{at}in1st.szote.u-szeged.hu
It became clear in the last decades that neuropathy is not a separate clinical entity, but a component of several related complications (1). Although the functional consequences of neuropathy are well defined in various organ systems, the relationship of the alterations in the networks of the neuronal system is still poorly documented. Assessment of the potential common alterations of the different neuronal functions in patients with diabetic neuropathy may provide new pathogenetic and diagnostic considerations. Previously, we observed correlations between the delay of certain auditory-evoked potentials and the severity of autonomic and peripheral sensory neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes (2). In addition, we found a relationship between the latency of visual-evoked potentials and the peripheral neuronal function (3). The aims of this study were to analyze the possible correlations between the central auditory and visual afferentations and the severity of autonomic and sensory neuropathy in patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes.
A total of 10 middle-aged type 1 diabetic patients …
