Abstract
BackgroundDiabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus. The main symptoms of DPN include numbness or pain in both extremities and paresthesia (such as formication or burning sensations), which greatly affect patients’ quality of life. Pharmacological treatments for DPN are associated with both uncertain therapeutic effects and adverse effects, as well as with high costs. Some clinical studies have reported that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) relieves clinical symptoms and improves nerve function in patients with DPN. We intend to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to further evaluate the effectiveness and safety of LLLT for DPN.MethodsThe following electronic databases will be searched to retrieve literature from their inception until December 2020: MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science (the Science and Social Science Citation Index), CNKI, VIP, WanFang, and SinoMed. Simultaneously, clinical registration tests and gray literature will also be retrieved. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LLLT with either sham LLLT, no (specific) treatment, or active conventional medical treatments will be included. The primary outcomes will be nerve conduction velocity as well as clinical scores that assess neurological function and related symptoms. The risk of bias of each study and quality of evidence will be assessed using the updated Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool and GRADE approach, respectively. A meta-analysis will then be conducted using Review Manager software version 5.3.DiscussionThis study will integrate RCTs and analyze data to provide a detailed summary of the evidence relating to the effects and safety of LLLT in patients with DPN. LLLT will be compared with sham LLLT, no (specific) treatment, or active conventional medical treatments, especially in terms of neurological function, quality of life, and adverse events. In conclusion, this systematic review will generate evidence regarding the use of LLLT to treat DPN, in terms of both its efficacy and safety.Systematic review registrationThis protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews on April 2020 (registration number: CRD42020170625).
Highlights
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) refers to the symptoms and/or signs related to peripheral nerve dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), after excluding other causes
The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of level laser therapy (LLLT) compared with active conventional treatment, sham LLLT, or no treatment, or as an additional treatment compared with active treatment alone, in patients with DPN
Summary
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus. The main symptoms of DPN include numbness or pain in both extremities and paresthesia (such as formication or burning sensations), which greatly affect patients’ quality of life. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) refers to the symptoms and/or signs related to peripheral nerve dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), after excluding other causes. The prevalence of DPN among DM patients is approximately 50%, and DPN is a common chronic complication of DM, but is the commonest cause of neuropathy [1, 2]. DPN mainly manifests as symptoms such as numbness or pain in both extremities as well as paresthesia (such as formication or burning sensations), which greatly affect patients’ quality of life. DPN is associated with a large human and economic burden on both patients and the healthcare system [6, 7]
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