THE DETECTION OF SUB CLINICAL NEUROPATHY IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-II DIABETES MELLITUS USING BIOTHESIOMETER

Foot problems are an important cause of concern in patients with diabetes mellitus. Vascular and neurological complications contribute to this problem. Early recognition of neurological dysfunction is therefore crucial in order to prevent foot complications. The objectives of the study is to compare the vibration perception thresholds of patients with type II diabetes mellitus and age matched non-diabetic subjects using biothesiometer to determine its effectiveness in detecting sub-clinical neuropathy. In the present study, 52 patients (30 males and 22 females) with type II diabetes mellitus and the same number of age-matched non-diabetic subjects (26 males and 26 females)were investigated for sub clinical neuropathy. All the subjects were tested for vibration perception threshold (VPT) on the plantar aspect of the great toe and prominent part of medial malleolus in a standardized environment using biothesiometer. The data analysis was completed using an unpaired t-test to compare VPT values between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals and a paired t-test to compare the VPT values at the two different sites of the same side of the subject’ body. There was a significant difference in the VPT values between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals (‘P’ value <0.001). It was observed that early neuropathic changes in diabetic individuals can be detected by testing VPT’s using biothesiometer.