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Lower Leg Risks for People With Type 2 DiabetesWhat is the problem and what is known about it so far?Diseases of the legs, such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or peripheral neuropathy (PN), are serious complications of diabetes. Although early detection may help reduce these complications, it isn’t known how early the diseases get under way in people who develop diabetes. Why did the researchers do this particular study?The researchers wanted to study how common PAD and PN are in people with diabetes, pre-diabetes, and normal blood glucose levels. Who was studied?The study included 3,607 people age 40 and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a large-scale study conducted by the National Institutes of Health. How was the study done?The participants had a physical exam and blood drawn for tests. They also had an examination of the legs and feet to assess for PAD and PN. What did the researchers find?PN and PAD was highest in people with diabetes and lowest in people with normal blood glucose levels or pre-diabetes. Those with diabetes were about twice as likely to get PAD or PN as those without diabetes. Many people learned that they had diabetes through the course of the study, and these people were about as likely to have PN or PAD as those who had been diagnosed with diabetes. What are the limitations of the study?Researchers did not do specialized blood tests that would have provided more information about participants’ ability to handle glucose and insulin. Since the participants were all age 40 or older, the results may not apply to younger people. What are the implications of the study?PAD and PN is common in people with diabetes, including those with undiagnosed diabetes, but is about the same in people with pre-diabetes as it is in those with normal glucose levels. Efforts to detect PAD and PN should focus on those with diabetes and those likely to have diabetes. |
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