Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Rehabilitation,
Medical University of Bialystok, Poland | Second Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of
Bialystok, Poland
Note: [] Correspondence: Krzysztof Sendrowski, M.D., Department of
Pediatric Neurology and Rehabilitation, Medical University of Bialystok,
Waszyngtona 17, 15-274 Bialystok, Poland. Tel.: +48857450812; Fax:
+48857450812; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder, which causes multi-organ
complications. Sensory dominant polyneuropathy and autonomic nervous system
neuropathy are recognized as the most common clinical pictures of the nervous
system disorders caused by diabetes. Pathological changes in the central
nervous system in diabetic patients are relatively unknown and can be referred
to as diabetic encephalopathy. The mechanisms underlying this complication
remains still poorly understood. Measurable subclinical manifestations are
electrophysiological changes, including the impairment of the somatosensory
evoked potentials. Aim of the study was to detect possible subclinical features
of diabetic neuropathy and/or encephalopathy by investigating peripheral and
central somatosensory conduction in children with newly diagnosed type I
diabetes. Thirteen children with newly diagnosed type I diabetes (suffering
from diabetes no longer than 24 months) were involved in the study of
somatosensory evoked potentials. Latencies of potentials N9, N13, N20, P25,
peripheral conduction time and central conduction time were analyzed. The
control group consisted of 24 age-matched children with tension type headache.
All of the analyzed evoked potentials parameters were in the normal range. No
significant differences between diabetic and control children were found. Our
results indicate that during the first 2 years from diabetes diagnosis in
children no subclinical signs of central nervous system impairment and
peripheral nervous system as well, can be detected using somatosensory evoked
potentials examination.
Keywords: Somatosensory evoked potentials, diabetes, diabetic encephalopathy, diabetic neuropathy, children
