Search

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes, yet varying estimates of its prevalence exist. The present study aimed to estimate a questionnaire-centered prevalence of painful and painless DPN in the Northern Danish Region, examine its geographical distribution within the region, and investigate associations between DPN and potential risk factors., Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was sent to all persons living with diabetes in the Northern Danish Region using electronic mail. Persons with diabetes were identified using The National Health Insurance Service Registry. The survey included information on demographics, socioeconomics, municipality, diabetes type, duration, and treatment, as well as the validated questionnaires Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument-questionnaire (MNSIq) and the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4)-interview. Possible DPN was defined as an MNSIq-score ≥ 4, while possible painful DPN was defined as pain in both feet and a DN4-interview score ≥ 3., Results: A total of 23,206 eligible people were identified as having diabetes and approximately 33 % answered all questionnaires. The prevalence of possible DPN was 23.3 % (95 % CI: 22.4-24.3 %), while the prevalence of possible painful DPN was 18.0 % (17.1-18.8 %). The prevalence of possible DPN ranged from 22.1 % to 35.0 % between municipalities, while the prevalence of possible painful DPN ranged from 15.6 % to 20.0 %. High body-mass index, long diabetes duration, insulin use, glucagon-like-peptide-1-analogue use, and low income were associated with increased risk of DPN., Conclusion: The high prevalence of possible painless and painful DPN emphasizes the need for better prevention and careful screening even in high-income countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Gastrointestinal function plays a pivotal role in nutrient absorption and overall digestive health. Abnormal gastric emptying is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, impacting blood glucose regulation and causing gastrointestinal symptoms. This study aims to investigate and compare segmental transit times, motility indices, and micromilieu between Greenlandic Inuit and Danish individuals with and without type 2 diabetes. We included forty-four Greenlandic Inuit, twenty-three of whom had type 2 diabetes, and age and gender-matched Danish individuals. Segmental transit time, motility, and luminal environment were measured using the SmartPill®. Greenlandic controls displayed shorter gastric emptying time (GET) (163 min), higher gastric median pH (2.0 pH) and duodenal median contractions (18.2 mm Hg) compared to Greenlanders with type 2 diabetes (GET: 235 min, pH:1.9, median duodenal contraction 18.4 mm Hg) and Danish controls (GET: 190, pH:1.2 median duodenal contraction 17.5 mmHg). Despite similar anti-diabetic management efforts, variations in gastrointestinal physiology were evident, highlighting the complexity of diabetes and its interaction with ethnicity, suggesting potential dietary or even genetic influences, emphasising the necessity for personalised diabetes management approaches. Finally, the study opens possibilities for future research, encouraging investigations into the underlying mechanisms linking genetics, diet, and gastric physiology, as an understanding of factors can lead to more effective, tailored strategies for diabetes care and improved digestive health in diverse populations.

Aims: Diabetic autonomic neuropathy is a severe complication of diabetes, estimated to affect up to 44% in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 73% in type 2 diabetes (T2D) based on clinical studies. Currently, the assessment of diabetic autonomic neuropathy is not implemented in Denmark's clinical guidelines, complicating the estimation of the true prevalence. Thus, this study investigated the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of autonomic dysfunction in people living with diabetes in the North Denmark Region using the Composite Autonomic Symptoms Score (COMPASS)-31 questionnaire., Methods: In 2022, all adults with T1D or T2D in the North Denmark Region (n = 29,155) were identified using The National Health Insurance Service Registry and invited to an online survey including the Danish version of COMPASS-31. The prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) for symptomatic autonomic dysfunction were determined using a cut-off value of 16., Results: In total, 7,377 completed COMPASS-31, of which 82.4% reported having T2D and 13.7% T1D. The prevalence of symptomatic autonomic dysfunction was 36.8% (95% CI: 34-40) after a median of 26 years with diabetes for T1D and 44.2% (95% CI: 43-45) after a median of 10 years for T2D. Pupillary and orthostatic intolerance were the most frequent moderate to severe symptoms, respectively (38.4% and 24.0% in T1D and 32.8% and 26.3% in T2D)., Conclusion: Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction are very common in individuals with diabetes living in the North Denmark Region, emphasizing the unmet need for regular testing to increase awareness and allow for adequate management, ultimately reducing the morbidity of diabetes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Diabetic gastroenteropathy can cause significant diagnostic challenges. Still, it remains unknown if measures of extraintestinal autonomic function reflect diabetic gastroenteropathy. We aimed to assess the associations between (1) gastrointestinal symptoms and motility measures and (2) gastrointestinal symptoms/motility measures and extraintestinal autonomic markers., Methods: We included 81 persons with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (65% female, mean age 54) with gastrointestinal symptoms and autonomic neuropathy. The Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) assessed gastrointestinal symptoms. The wireless motility capsule (Smartpill™) assessed panenteric transit times and motility indices. Cardiovascular reflex tests (VAGUS™) and cardiac vagal tone (eMotion Faros) estimated cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy, while the SUDOSCAN™ evaluated sudomotor function., Key Results: Proximal gastrointestinal symptoms were positively associated with the gastric motility index (GCSI: 1.18 (1.04-1.35), p = 0.01; GSRS: 1.15 (1.03-1.29), p = 0.02; median ratio (95% CI)), while only satiety correlated with gastric emptying time (1.24 (1.03-1.49), p = 0.02). Diarrhea was associated with decreased small bowel transit time (0.93 (0.89-0.98), p = 0.005), while constipation were associated with prolonged colonic transit time (1.16 (1.03-1.31), p = 0.02). Gastrointestinal symptoms increased with the degree of abnormal cardiovascular reflex tests (GCSI: 0.67 (0.16-1.19), p = 0.03; GSRS: 0.87 (0.30-1.45), p = 0.01; mean difference (95% CI)) but not with motility measures. Cardiac vagal tone and sudomotor function were not associated with gastrointestinal markers., Conclusions & Inferences: Gastrointestinal and extraintestinal autonomic measures were not associated. However, proximal gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with the gastric motility index and cardiovascular reflex tests. Hence, the latter may contribute to evaluating whether proximal gastrointestinal symptoms are autonomically derived., (© 2024 The Author(s). Neurogastroenterology & Motility published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims/hypothesis: Diabetic gastroenteropathy frequently causes debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms. Previous uncontrolled studies have shown that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) may improve gastrointestinal symptoms. To investigate the effect of cervical tVNS in individuals with diabetes suffering from autonomic neuropathy and gastrointestinal symptoms, we conducted a randomised, sham-controlled, double-blind (participants and investigators were blinded to the allocated treatment) study., Methods: This study included adults (aged 20-86) with type 1 or 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal symptoms and autonomic neuropathy recruited from three Steno Diabetes Centres in Denmark. Participants were randomly allocated 1:1 to receive active or sham stimulation. Active cervical tVNS or sham stimulation was self-administered over two successive study periods: 1 week of four daily stimulations and 8 weeks of two daily stimulations. The primary outcome measures were gastrointestinal symptom changes as measured using the gastroparesis cardinal symptom index (GCSI) and the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS). Secondary outcomes included gastrointestinal transit times and cardiovascular autonomic function., Results: Sixty-eight participants were randomised to the active group, while 77 were randomised to the sham group. Sixty-three in the active and 68 in the sham group remained for analysis in study period 1, while 62 in each group were analysed in study period 2. In study period 1, active and sham tVNS resulted in similar symptom reductions (GCSI: -0.26 ± 0.64 vs -0.17 ± 0.62, p=0.44; GSRS: -0.35 ± 0.62 vs -0.32 ± 0.59, p=0.77; mean ± SD). In study period 2, active stimulation also caused a mean symptom decrease that was comparable to that observed after sham stimulation (GCSI: -0.47 ± 0.78 vs -0.33 ± 0.75, p=0.34; GSRS: -0.46 ± 0.90 vs -0.35 ± 0.79, p=0.50). Gastric emptying time was increased in the active group compared with sham (23 min vs -19 min, p=0.04). Segmental intestinal transit times and cardiovascular autonomic measurements did not differ between treatment groups (all p>0.05). The tVNS was well-tolerated., Conclusions/interpretation: Cervical tVNS, compared with sham stimulation, does not improve gastrointestinal symptoms among individuals with diabetes and autonomic neuropathy., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04143269 FUNDING: The study was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant number NNF180C0052045)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objective: Pain is a major clinical challenge, and understanding the pathophysiology is critical for optimal management. The autonomic nervous system reacts to pain stimuli, and autonomic dysfunction may predict pain sensation. The most used assessment of autonomic function is based on electrocardiographic measures, and the ability of such measures to predict pain was investigated., Databases and Data Treatment: English articles indexed in PubMed and EMBASE were reviewed for eligibility and included when they reported electrocardiographic-derived measures' ability to predict pain response. The quality in prognostic studies (QUIPS) tool was used to assess the quality of the included articles., Results: The search revealed 15 publications, five on experimental pain, five on postoperative pain, and five on longitudinal clinical pain changes, investigating a total of 1069 patients. All studies used electrocardiographically derived parameters to predict pain assessed with pain thresholds using quantitative sensory testing or different scales. Across all study modalities, electrocardiographic measures were able to predict pain. Higher parasympathetic activity predicted decreased experimental, postoperative, and long-term pain in most cases while changes in sympathetic activity did not consistently predict pain., Conclusions: Most studies demonstrated that parasympathetic activity could predict acute and chronic pain intensity. In the clinic, this may be used to identify which patients need more intensive care to prevent, for example postoperative pain and develop personalized chronic pain management., Significance: Pain is a debilitating problem, and the ability to predict occurrence and severity would be a useful clinical tool. Basal autonomic tone has been suggested to influence pain perception. This systematic review investigated electrocardiographic-derived autonomic tone and found that increased parasympathetic tone could predict pain reduction in different types of pain., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation - EFIC ®.)