Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to determine if individuals with NIDDM for greater than twenty years without diabetic retinopathy (DR) had a lower prevalence of symptomatic diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) than the NIDDM population. We hypothesized the prevalence of DPN would be lower in patients with NIDDM for greater than 20 years without DR possibly due to similar protection against complications of NIDDM. Methods: NIDDM patients without DR were identified by Medicare ICD code 11.9. The lack of DR was determined by dilated fundoscopic exam. The duration of diabetes and symptoms of DPN were determined by survey. Results were compared to a prevalence of DPN of 50% that was determined from extensive literature review. Results: Patients with NIDDM for greater than 20 years duration had a statistically lower prevalence of DPN 24% (5/21) than in the control group (50%). A one-tailed binomial test was utilized (p=0.013). Conclusion: Our results are suggestive of some intrinsic protective effects of diabetic complications due to a decreased prevalence of DPN in patients with NIDDM for greater than 20 years without DR apparently independent of effective glycemic control.