The relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review and a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is related to the health of the human body and is an indispensable nutrient for human beings. Some studies indicated that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) may be associated with vitamin D deficiency, but the current understanding of this point of view remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyl vitamin D (25 [OH] D) concentration and DPN in patients with T2DM by a meta-analysis, and to provide a reference for doctors. METHODS: Relevant studies were selected from the PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP databases, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform databases dating from 2000 to December 2017. A total of 75 articles related to serum 25 (OH) D and DPN were selected from 2000 to December 2017. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the literature, a quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale, and a meta-analysis was performed by RevMan5.3 statistical software. RESULTS: Thirteen studies that involved a total of 2814 type 2 diabetic patients were finally included into the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results, heterogeneity test showed that, P < .000 01, I(2) = 92%, calculation by random effect model revealed that, the serum concentration of 25 (OH) D in T2DM combined with DPN group was lower than that in the group without DPN (weighted mean difference = −0.74, 95% confidence interval: −1.03 to −0.46) CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D is associated with type 2 DPN (DPN), and vitamin D deficiency can lead to an increased risk of type 2 DPN. However, more high-quality research is needed.