ABSTRACT
Introduction: Diagnosing diabetic neuropathy is a challenge at times as it is asymptomatic. Diagnosing diabetic neuropathy involves the use of quantitative sensory testing, nerve conduction study, and autonomic testing. Tempearture threshold testing (TTT) can aid in diagnosing small fiber neuropathy at early stages. This study aimed to assess the small fiber neuropathy using TTT in diabetes mellitus (DM) and correlate with age, duration of diabetes, and lipid profile. Materials and Methods: The study was commenced after obtaining ethics approval from the institute ethics committee. The study participants included 100 patients with type 2 DM of both genders between the ages of 40 and 65 years. The glycemic status and lipid profile were noted along with physical examination. Neuropathy assessment was done using Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) and TTT. Results: The prevalence of small fiber neuropathy based on TTT was 63%. The lipid profile was similar in both the groups. The MNSI B scale had significantly higher scores in the neuropathy group. In the neuropathy group, the thresholds for hot were significantly greater in all four limbs and cold were significantly lower. Age and years of DM were positively correlated with the neuropathy. Hot threshold in the lower limb had shown a strong positive correlation. Conclusion: The age and duration of diabetes are independent risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Small fiber neuropathy is a prequel to the motor neuropathy. Hot threshold testing in the lower limb is more sensitive than cold threshold testing for diagnosing small fiber neuropathy.
ABSTRACT
Background: The increasing elderly population makes frailty an increasing concern in society with vulnerability to stress and functional decline. Unrecognised comorbidities are common among the elderly due to lack of mention by the patients. Physicians should be equipped with effective interviewing skills along with the use of screening tools to assess any impairments in activities of daily living, cognition and signs of depression. Objectives: To measure the degree of independence or dependence using scales and stratify patients based on Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) so as to recommend it as a routinely usable tool. Materials and Methods: In total, 191 elderly subjects above the age of 65 years were recruited for geriatric assessment. Tools that assess performance in daily living activities and cognition were used. The prevalidated CFS was used to score frailty to stratify patients into frail and non-frail groups, and the parameters were compared. Results: Mean age of the study population was 69.54 years with 53.4% males and 46.6% females. Mean Katz index and mean Lawton score were >5. The mean Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) score was 1.5, and the mean clinical frailty score was 3.55. Significantly high number of male individuals were found in the frailty group. Hypertension was significantly higher in the frail group. The mean Katz scores were significantly lower, and mean GDS scores were significantly higher in the frailty group. Multivariable logistic regression has shown gender to be an important determinant of frailty with an odds ratio of 0.05 (CI-0.01-0.20). The higher Lawton score and GDS scores were significantly associated with frailty with an odds ratio of 0.33 (CI: 0.21-0.52) and 2.62 (CI: 1.14-6.02), respectively. Conclusion: Men are more frail than women and co-morbidities like hypertension and coronary artery disease contribute to frailty with cognitive decline and decreased autonomy. A comprehensive assessment to identify frailty will provide a holistic view of well being among the elderly.