Diabetes Mellitus Type Has Impact on Cutaneous Silent Period

INTRODUCTION: Neurophysiological tests allow accurate assessment of the function of the peripheral nervous system. Detection of neurophysiological changes allows us to understand the neurological clinical symptoms and signs of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and the possibility for their symptomatic treatment. AIM: Evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus on the “cutaneous silent period” in detecting diabetic polyneuropathy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 150 subjects, 90 suffering from diabetes, divided into three groups of 30, depending on the disease duration, and a control group of 60 respondents not suffering from diabetes or other polyneuropathies. The control group are referred for EMG analysis on another basis (cervical radiculopathy, brachialgia, etc.). Group 1 consisted of 30 subjects with diabetes mellitus type 2 and duration of illness up to 5 years. Group 2 consisted of 30 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus 2 and illness duration from 5 to 10 years. Group 3 consisted of 30 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The study groups consisted of patients referred for EMNG analysis to the EMG office of the Clinical Center of Sarajevo University, Neurology Clinic and the Neurophysiology Laboratory in Ljubljana, from July 1, 2011 to May 1, 2016. All patients were examined neurologically and electroneurographic analysis was performed. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found in the incidence of pathologic CSP with respect to the study groups, χ2 = 26.153; p=0.001. Pathologic CSP was more common in group 1 and group 2 of subjects (56.17%) compared to group 3 and control subjects, where it occurred in 13.3% of the cases. CONCLUSION: The pathological cutaneous period of silence was more frequent in subjects of group 1 and group 2, that is, in subjects with DM type 2, compared to subjects with DM type 1.