I know that this is not a diabetes forum and that there have been numerous posts already about the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and peripheral neuropathy but I want to add another - hopefully this is not a repeat of something recent and clutters up the boards.

In any case last year Peter Bosch's group at the Mayo clinic in AZ published a study that futher confirms the link between abnormal glucose metabolism and chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP), something with which many on the board have first hand experience, myself included. The authors showed, as have others, that the OGTT is a much more reliable and accurate prediction for CAIP than fasting plasma glucose. They found a 2-fold higher diagnostic correlation using OGTT. In addition, the diagnostic accuracy was virtually the same for pure sensory, sensorimotor, and small-fiber PN's associated with CIAP and correlate well w/ the revised criteria from the ADA.

The authors also noted that in their particular study group of 100 patients that while the neurologic deficits were relatively mild, all patients were sensory symptomatic and the vast majority were in pain (82%) - this contrasts with some other studies where painful PN was more often associated with CIAP related to impaired glucose tolerance.

Doesn't really matter though - pain is pain is pain, regardless of the source.

The link follows: http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/63/8/1075

Alkymst