ABSTRACT
Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious challenges to health care world wide and its effect
on peripheral and central nervous system are known. Aim of the work: To detect and analysis possible
correlation between central , peripheral and autonomic neuropathies in one hand with duration of illness, type of
treatment, glyceamic control on the other hand. Subject and methods: 20 patients type 1 diabetes, 20 patients type
2 and 20 age matched controls, all were subjected to nerve conduction studies, electromyography, brainstem
auditory evoked potential and autonomic function test, with exclusion of other possible cases which can cause
peripheral or central neuropathies. Results: Peripheral neuropathy detected in 75% of type 1 patients and 80% in
type 2 and autonomic neuropathy 20% in type 1 and 10% in type 2.Severities of neuropathy were related to
duration of illness and blood glucose level. Abnormalities of brainstem auditory evoked potential were reported in
all patients of the study and all were correlated positively with blood glucose level, presence of neuropathy but not
with duration of illness. Conclusion: Peripheral neuropathy is more in type 2 than type 1, while central
neuropathy detected by abnormalities in brainstem auditory evoked potential were detected in all diabetic and was
not related to duration of illness. Central and peripheral neuropathies were positively related to type of treatment,
glyceamic control and duration of illness except central neuropathy which was not related to duration of illnesses.
Central neuropathy was positively correlated to presence of peripheral neuropathy. (Egypt J. Neurol. Psychiat.
Neurosurg., 2005, 42(1): 209-221)