PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY TIED TO MORTALITY IN ADULTS WITHOUT DIABETES

Peripheral neuropathy is common in U.S. adults and is associated with an increased risk of death, even in the absence of diabetes, researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. "Doctors don't typically screen for peripheral neuropathy in persons without diabetes," said senior author Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD.

 

"Our study shows that peripheral neuropathy — as assessed by decreased sensation in the feet — is common, even in people without diabetes," Selvin explained. "It is not yet clear whether we should be screening people without diabetes since we don't have clear treatments, but our study does suggest that this condition is an under-recognized condition that is associated with poor outcomes." Patients with diabetes typically undergo annual foot examinations that include screening for peripheral neuropathy, but that's not the case for most adults in the absence of diabetes.

 

Source: Jake Remaly, Medscape Medical News via Dr. Paul Kesselman [12/7/20]

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News