Diagnosis Of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Research Articles

Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Is Not Associated with Apolipoprotein E Gene Isoforms in the Kazakh Population: A Case-Control Study.

The absence of an early diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy might increase the risk of the disease, progressing to an irreversible stage. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the APOE gene isoforms in patients with cardiac autonomic neuropathy to identify early markers for predicting this disease in the Kazakh population. A total of 147 patients with cardiac neuropathy and 153 controls were examined in this case-control study. Patients were genotyped for two polymorphisms of the APOE gene using real-time PCR. Statistical calculations were performed using binary logistic regression. As a result of our study, we found that there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of any APOE gene isoforms (APOE (ε2/ε2), APOE (ε2/ε3), APOE (ε2/ε4), APOE (ε3/ε3), or APOE (ε4/ε4)) between the patient group and the control group (p = 0.69, p = 0.64, p = 0.19, p = 0.22, p = 0.97, respectively). Thus, cardiac autonomic neuropathy is not associated with APOE gene isoforms in the Kazakh population.

Impaired Hypoglycemia Awareness in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes and its Association with Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy

Abstract Background In general, hypoglycemia is more frequent among the young explaining the higher frequency of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) among children andadolescents. Thus the aim of the current study was to assess the frequency of IAH among anEgyptian cohort of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and identify the possible association between impaired awareness of hypoglycemia and autonomic neuropathy. Patients and Methods A crosssectional study recruiting 100 patients with type 1 diabetesfor at least 6 months duration and aged less than 18 years old recruited from the Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Unit (PADU). Patients with other form of diabetes, cardiac disease,thyroid disease, anemia, other chronic disease, patients with intellectual disabilities or patients taking any medications were excluded from the study. The Gold and Clarke questionnaires were used to assess hypoglycemia awareness among the studied cohort.Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) was assessed using 15 minutes Holterelectrocardiography (ECG). Results Among the studied cohort, 42% showed IAH using theClarke’s and Gold's Questionnaires. When assessing CAN, 46% of the studied cohort showedresting tachycardia and patients with resting tachycardia showed significantly longer diseaseduration.There were no normative heart rate variability parameters values for the Egyptian children that can be used as a reference for diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy. So weused sex and age matched control group to find specific cutoff values for heart rate variabilityparameters to diagnose CAN. The results showed that the prevalence of CAN among studiedpatients was 88% and there were no significant correlation between CAN and both questionnaires score. 55.7% of CAN patients were aware while 44.3% were unaware. Thus,there were no association between impaired awareness of hypoglycemia and CAN. Theresults showed that there was significant positive correlation between cardiac autonomicneuropathy (CAN) and diabetic duration more than 5 years. Conclusion Although there were no association between impaired awareness of hypoglycemia and cardiac autonomic neuropathy, it is important to screen for CAN in patients with IAH, especially that CAN isusually asymptomatic among children with type 1 diabetes.

The Relationship between the Ewing Test, Sudoscan Cardiovascular Autonomic Neuropathy Score and Cardiovascular Risk Score Calculated with SCORE2-Diabetes.

Background and Objectives: Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) strongly linked to a nearly five-fold higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are a significant cohort in which these assessments have particular relevance to the increased cardiovascular risk inherent in the condition. Materials and Methods: This study aimed to explore the subtle correlation between the Ewing test, Sudoscan-cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy score, and cardiovascular risk calculated using SCORE 2 Diabetes in individuals with T2DM. The methodology involved detailed assessments including Sudoscan tests to evaluate sudomotor function and various cardiovascular reflex tests (CART). The cohort consisted of 211 patients diagnosed with T2DM with overweight or obesity without established ASCVD, aged between 40 to 69 years. Results: The prevalence of CAN in our group was 67.2%. In the study group, according SCORE2-Diabetes, four patients (1.9%) were classified with moderate cardiovascular risk, thirty-five (16.6%) with high risk, and one hundred seventy-two (81.5%) with very high cardiovascular risk. Conclusions: On multiple linear regression, the SCORE2-Diabetes algorithm remained significantly associated with Sudoscan CAN-score and Sudoscan Nephro-score and Ewing test score. Testing for the diagnosis of CAN in very high-risk patients should be performed because approximately 70% of them associate CAN. Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with sudomotor damage and that Sudoscan is an effective and non-invasive measure of identifying such risk.

Artificial intelligence-enhanced electrocardiogram analysis for identifying cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with diabetes.

To develop and employ machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyse electrocardiograms (ECGs) for the diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN). We used motif and discord extraction techniques, alongside long short-term memory networks, to analyse 12-lead, 10-s ECG tracings to detect CAN in patients with diabetes. The performance of these methods with the support vector machine classification model was evaluated using 10-fold cross validation with the following metrics: accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC). Among 205 patients (mean age 54 ± 17 years, 54% female), 100 were diagnosed with CAN, including 38 with definite or severe CAN (dsCAN) and 62 with early CAN (eCAN). The best model performance for dsCAN classification was achieved using both motifs and discords, with an accuracy of 0.92, an F1 score of 0.92, a recall at 0.94, a precision of 0.91, and an excellent AUC of 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91-0.94). For the detection of any stage of CAN, the approach combining motifs and discords yielded the best results, with an accuracy of 0.65, F1 score of 0.68, a recall of 0.75, a precision of 0.68, and an AUC of 0.68 (95% CI 0.54-0.81). Our study highlights the potential of using ML techniques, particularly motifs and discords, to effectively detect dsCAN in patients with diabetes. This approach could be applied in large-scale screening of CAN, particularly to identify definite/severe CAN where cardiovascular risk factor modification may be initiated.

The Importance of Evaluating Sudomotor Function in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a disorder affecting the autonomic nerves that regulate the cardiovascular system, leading to irregular heart rate and blood pressure control. It is commonly associated with diabetes mellitus but can also result from other conditions such as autoimmune disorders, chronic kidney disease, alcohol abuse, and certain medications. Screening for CAN is essential, particularly in individuals with poor glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors, or complications. Early identification of CAN is vital for timely intervention to prevent or manage cardiovascular complications effectively. Regular screening helps detect CAN before symptoms emerge, enabling early intervention to slow or halt its progression. This study examined the relationship between sudomotor function and cardiovascular reflex tests. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between June 2019 and June 2020. The study included 271 subjects aged 18 years and above who provided informed consent, were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and were overweight or obese. Exclusion criteria encompassed patients with other types of diabetes, pregnant women, those with recent neoplasm diagnoses, stroke sequelae, history of myocardial infarction, or pelvic limb amputations. The assessment of cardiac autonomic neuropathy involved conducting an electrocardiogram and evaluating the QTc interval in the morning before taking medication. Additionally, cardiovascular reflex tests (CART) were conducted, including assessments of heart rate variability during deep breathing, the Valsalva maneuver, and changes in orthostatic position. Simultaneously, the diagnosis of CAN was assessed by performing a sweat test using a Sudoscan assessment (Impeto Medical, Moulineaux, France). Results: More than half of the participants (52%, n=143) were female. Significant differences in statistical measures were noted between females and males regarding age, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, A1c level, total cholesterol, triglycerides, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and bilirubin levels. Within the CAN-diagnosed group (CAN+), 40.92% were classified as mild cases (n=90), 47.27% as moderate cases (n=104), and 11.81% as severe cases (n=26). Among the CAN+ group, 54% (n=119) were women. Electrochemical skin conductance was lower in the CAN+ group than the CAN- group in hands (67.34±15.51 μS versus 72.38±12.12 μS, p=0.008) and feet (73.37±13.38 μS versus 82.84 ±10.29 μS, p<0.001). The Sudoscan-CAN score significantly correlated with Ewing scores (r= 0.522, p<0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, the Sudoscan-CAN score remained significantly associated with age, high BMI, long-standing diabetes, and Ewing score. Sudoscan demonstrates potential in identifying patients with an increased risk of CAN. Its integration into clinical practice can improve patient outcomes through early detection, risk stratification, and personalized treatment approaches. Its non-invasive, portable, and user-friendly features render it suitable for utilization in outreach programs or resource-constrained settings as part of screening efforts designed to pinpoint high-risk individuals for additional assessment.

A therapeutic challenge relating to the association of orthostatic hypotension and supine hypertension in a patient with cardiac autonomic neuropathy: a case report

BackgroundCardiac autonomic neuropathy is a highly prevalent pathology in the diabetic population, and is the leading cause of death in this population. Orthostatic hypotension is the main clinical manifestation of the disease. In some patients, this orthostatic hypotension is associated with supine hypertension, posing a therapeutic challenge since treatment of one entity may aggravate the other. The challenge is to manage each of these two hemodynamic opposites without exposing the patient to a life-threatening risk of severe hypotension or hypertension.Case presentationWe report a case of a 62-year-old ethnic Moroccan woman who has cardiovascular risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The patient’s symptoms included dizziness, tremors, morning sickness, palpitations, and intolerance to exertion. Given her symptomatology, the patient benefited from an exploration of the autonomic nervous system through cardiovascular reactivity tests (Ewing tests), which confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy. In addition to orthostatic hypotension, our patient had supine arterial hypertension, complicating management. To treat orthostatic hypotension, we advised the patient to avoid the supine position during the day, to raise the head of the bed during the night, and to have a sufficient fluid intake, with a gradual transition from decubitus to orthostatism and venous restraint of the lower limbs. Supine hypertension was treated with transdermal nitrates placed at bedtime and removed 1 hour before getting up. One week after the introduction of treatment, the patient reported a clear regression of functional symptoms, with an improvement in her quality of life. Improvement in symptomatology was maintained during quarterly follow-up consultations.ConclusionsCardiac autonomic neuropathy is a very common pathology in diabetic patients. It is a serious condition with a life-threatening prognosis. Its management must be individualized according to the symptomatology and profile of each patient. The treatment of patients with orthostatic hypotension and supine hypertension requires special attention to ensure that each entity is treated without aggravating the other.

Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Case Report

Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) is a well-recognized complication of diabetes mellitus that affects both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Its clinical presentation can be subtle and early detection is of utmost importance for effective management and prevention of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We report the case of a 25-year-old male with an 8-year history of type 1 diabetes who presented with dizziness, worse on standing, together with resting and orthostatic tachycardia. Several autonomic function tests have been described in literature to confirm the presence and severity of CAN. However, in an emergency medicine setting common causes of tachycardia (some of them quite critical) must be excluded before attributing tachycardia to autonomic dysfunction secondary to diabetes. That said, CAN must always be considered in diabetic patients with relevant clinical presentation as a rule-out diagnosis. This is particularly important in view of the detrimental cardiovascular sequelae for the patients. In addition, prompt diagnosis of CAN can have a significant impact on patient’s management by triggering optimization of their diabetic control and offering treatment that can alleviate their symptoms. CAN is an admittedly challenging complication of diabetes, with multi-factorial pathogenesis, and largely under-diagnosed with few cases in literature. Further research is needed to enhance our understanding of CAN and to develop early tools for effective diagnosis of diabetes complication. Thus, raising awareness among clinicians for this medical entity can prompt early consideration in our differentials and optimal treatment for the patients.

Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a debilitating complication in diabetes mellitus, leading to life-threatening arrhythmias and various impairments. Its prevalence varies widely, and early detection and management are crucial. This study investigates the prevalence of CAN in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Central India, comparing them to a control group. This case-control study included 35 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 35 age-matched healthy controls from the general population. Cardiac autonomic function testing (AFT) was done by heart rate variability (HRV), the deep breathing test (DBT), the cold pressor test (CPT), and the lying-to-standing test (LST). Parameters were recorded and analyzed usingstatistical tests. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had significantly higher weight, BMI, fasting blood sugar, post-prandial blood sugar, urine albumin-creatinine ratios, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure than controls. Abnormalities in HRV and E: I ratio during the DBT and CPT were more prevalent in these patients. Parasympathetic dysfunction (delta HR) and a lower E: I ratio were also significantly highin this group. Also, LST results suggested a greater likelihood of orthostatic symptoms in the patients' group. This study highlights the importance of AFT in diagnosing early CAN in newly diagnosedpatients. Early diagnosis and management of diabetic CAN are essential to prevent complications.

Perioperative management of adult patients with concomitant diabetes mellitus: guidelines of the All-Russian public organization “Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists” (second revision)

Diabetes mellitus is a proven predictor of postoperative complications, especially infectious and cardiac, and also significantly increases the risk of mortality. The article presents a revision of the national guidelines of the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists (FAR) on the perioperative management of adult patients with diabetes mellitus, which summarizes and evaluates all available data at the time of revision on this topic. The literature search was focused on meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials, but also included registries, non-randomized comparative and descriptive studies, case series, cohort studies, systematic reviews, and expert opinions. Before publication, the guidelines were approved by the Presidium of the FAR Board. In the revised version of 2022, changes were made in comparison with the previous one: the preoperative diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy using a deep breathing test and an orthostatic test was justified, the principles of elective surgery canceling depending on the level of glycated hemoglobin and the tactics of preoperative oral hypoglycemic drugs prescribing were presented. The choice between general and regional anesthesia based on the detection of cardiac autonomic neuropathy and polyneuropathy was also justified, the choice of drugs for anesthesia and the principles of their dosing were reasoned, antiemetic therapy was determined. For each recommendation, the level of evidence is presented. The guidelines were developed by experts in the field of perioperative management of patients for anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists to help in decision-making, the final decisions concerning an individual patient must be made by the by the attending physician after consultation with an endocrinologist and/or based on the decision of the council of specialists.

Correlation Between Skin Advanced Glycation End Products and Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Among Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are frequently increased in the skin of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to examine the correlation of AGEs with cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in T2DM. To this aim, 132 participants (88 men) with a mean age of 64.57 years and a median T2DM duration of 14.5 years were included. Skin AGEs were measured with AGE reader mu connect (Diagnoptics) on the dominant arm (both single and automated triplicate measurements). Diagnosis of CAN, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system impairment was based on the four standardised cardiovascular reflex tests (CARTs). On a single measurement, AGEs were increased in subjects with vs. those without CAN (3.20±0.74 vs. 2.66±0.66, p<0.001). As compared with normal results, AGEs were increased for each one of the 4 abnormal CARTs: Valsalva Ratio (3.36±0.67 vs. 2.66±0.72, p=0.004), E/I ratio (3.01±0.72 vs. 2.53±0.68, p=0.001), 30:15 ratio (3.08±0.76 vs. 2.75±0.69, p=0.011), postural hypotension (3.30±0.72 vs. 2.75±0.66, p<0.001). Similar results were obtained for triplicate measurements. Among T2DM subjects, skin AGEs appear to increase in the presence of CAN. This holds true both for sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system impairment.

Association between plasma apolipoprotein M and cardiac autonomic neuropathy in type 1 diabetes

AimDiabetes may lead to severe complications e.g. cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) characterized by an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. CAN is diagnosed by a decreased heart rate viability (HRV). Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) carried by the HDL-associated apolipoprotein M (apoM) is linked to a reduction in the heart rate, and treatment with an S1P-agonist increases HRV. The present study aimed to investigate if plasma apoM was associated with an increased risk of CAN. MethodsThe study includes 278 individuals with Type 1 Diabetes recruited from Steno Diabetes Center in Copenhagen from 2010 to 2012. ResultsA change of 0.1 µM plasma apoM was associated with the diagnosis of CAN (Odds ratio: 1.11 (1.02; 1.21), p = 0.013). ApoM plasma levels were also positively associated with CAN when adjusted for age and gender (Odds ratio: 1.11 (1.02; 1.21), p = 0.013) as well as lipids, beta-blockers, blood pressure, and alcohol (Odds ratio: 1.14 (1.04; 1.26), p = 0.005) and Hbga1c and time with diabetes (Odds ratio: 1.13 (1.02; 1.25), p = 0.01). Plasma apoM was also associated with a significantly lower SDNN as well as high frequency power in all adjusted models. ConclusionIncreased plasma apoM was associated with an increased risk of CAN as well as a significant reduction in HRV indices. This could represent changes in parasympathetic activity, but, further studies are needed to also explore additional molecular alterations behind such observations.

Thermal quantitative sensory testing as a screening tool for cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with diabetes mellitus.

IntroductionElectrophysiological diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is based on the evaluation of cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests (CARTs). CARTs are relatively time consuming and must be performed under standardized conditions. This study aimed to determine whether thermal quantitative sensory testing (TQST) can be used as a screening tool to identify patients with diabetes at a higher risk of CAN.MethodsEighty‐five patients with diabetes and 49 healthy controls were included in the study. Neurological examination, CARTs, TQST, biochemical analyses, and neuropathy symptom questionnaires were performed.ResultsCAN was diagnosed in 46 patients with diabetes (54%). CAN‐positive patients with diabetes had significantly higher warm detection thresholds (WDT) and significantly lower cold detection thresholds (CDT) in all tested regions (thenar, tibia, and the dorsum of the foot). CDT on the dorsum < 21.8°C in combination with CDT on the tibia < 23.15°C showed the best diagnostic ability in CAN prediction, with 97.4 % specificity, 60.9% sensitivity, 96.6% positive predictive value, and 67.3% negative predictive value.ConclusionTQST can be used as a screening tool for CAN before CART.

A model for early diagnosis of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN)

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are widely used as prediction models in medical diagnosis in the recent research. Remodelling the CNN architecture to make it more reliable for classification is the core of each finding. Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) is a severity amongst the diabetic population, who are subject to diabetes for long duration. The aim of this work is to provide a predictive mechanism that is designed for more reliable diagnostics by studying the ECG physiology and enhancing the diagnostics by artificial technique, like using a remodelled CNN architecture. Results of CNN show 95.42 % efficiency in classifying between groups of CAN+ and CAN-groups..

Optimization of the method for diagnostics of cardial autonomic neuropathy in diabetes mellitus 2 types

Introduction. Early diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy is the basis for the risk of heart disease and premature death in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes). All patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes should undergo annual screening, including history taking and neurophysiologic evaluation, for early diabetic autonomic neuropathy. This article describes a modern diagnostic technique based on changes in heart rate variability, which allows early detection of damage to the parasympathetic nervous system and timely prescribing disease-modifying treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.Materials and methods. The study included 50 patients with type 2 diabetes (cf. Age 56.5 ± 13.5 years) and 30 healthy subjects (cf. Age 58 ± 10 years), matched by sex and age. according to the NSC questionnaire, the severity of neurological deficit - according to the NIS-LL scale, neuropathic pain syndrome - according to the TSS scale.Results. In the study group of patients with type 2 diabetes, severe CAN was detected in 13.3%, moderate CAN in 40% of patients, in 46.6% of patients, CAN was not detected. In the group of healthy volunteers, disorders of the autonomic nervous system of moderate were detected in 3.3%, in the remaining 96.7% of autonomic disorders were not accepted.Conclusion. The results of pulse oximetric tests with deep breathing are comparable to the results of the QAT device Case-4 (p &lt; 0.001). The method of pulse oximetric diagnostics is more practical to use in comparison with the hardware QAT.

The relationship between QT interval indices with cardiac autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients: a case control study

BackgroundLong QT interval (QT) and abnormal QT dispersion (QTd) are associated with sudden death. The relationship between cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and QT indices in type 2 diabetic patients were investigated.MethodsTotally 130 diabetic subjects (mean age 50.87 ± 13.9 years) were included (70 individuals with and 60 individuals without CAN). All participants had sinus cardiac rhythm. The patients who had diseases or take drugs that cause orthostatic hypotension (OH), cardiac arrhythmia and QT prolongation were excluded. After interview and examination, standard and continuous ECG was taken in supine position with deep breathing and standing up position. CAN diagnosis was based on Ewing’s tests. QT, QT corrected (QTc), minimum QT (QT min), maximum QT (QT max) and mean ± SD of QT (QT mean) and QTd were assessed from standard ECG. QTc was calculated by Bazett’s formula from V2 lead. QTc > 440 ms in men and QTc > 460 ms in women and QTd > 80 ms were considered abnormal.ResultsIn patients with CAN, 21.5% were symptomatic. The prevalence of abnormal QTc and QTd was 11.3% and 28.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the patients with or without CAN in terms of long QTc and abnormal QTd. However, the mean ± SD of QT max, QT mean and QTd was higher in the patients with CAN (P value < 0.03). The used cut points for QTc and QTd have high specificity (79% for both) and low sensitivity (30% and 37%, respectively). To use QTc and QTd as screening test for CAN in T2DM patients, the cutoff points 380 and 550 ms are suggested, respectively.ConclusionThe prevalence of asymptomatic CAN was 3.7 times that of symptomatic CAN. In patients with CAN the QT max, QT mean and QTd were higher than those without CAN. There was no association between CAN and long QTc and abnormal QTd.

Factors associated with sclerostin levels – A calcification inhibitor – In individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus; Is autonomic neuropathy the missing link?

BackgroundSclerostin inhibits bone formation and its expression is upregulated in the vasculature during the arterial calcification process as a counterregulatory mechanism preventing further calcification. Lower extremity arterial calcification (LEAC) is common in neuropathic patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Herein, we investigated for associations between plasma sclerostin levels and diabetic neuropathy as well as LEAC in subjects with T2DM. MethodsA total of 74 individuals with and 76 without T2DMwere recruited. Plasma sclerostin levels were measured by ELISA. Diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) was based on the battery of the four autonomic tests, while of somatosensory peripheral neuropathy (DPN) on neuropathy symptom score and neuropathy disability score. LEAC was assessed with conventional ankle and foot x-rays. ResultsPlasma sclerostin levels were higher in participants with LEAC vs. those without LEAC in both diabetes and non-diabetes cohorts (p = 0.035 and p = 0.003, respectively). In the diabetes cohort, patients with CAN, but not with DPN, had higher sclerostin levels when compared with those without CAN (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis in the diabetes cohort demonstrated that sclerostin levels were associated positively with CAN and LEAC, while in the non-diabetes cohort there was a trend for a positive association with male gender and presence of LEAC. ConclusionPlasma sclerostin levels are increased in individuals with LEAC irrespectively of diabetes status. In addition, plasma sclerostin concentrations are associated independently with LEAC and CAN in people with T2DM.

The evaluation of QTc prolongation and QT dispersion in type 2 diabetes mellitus as an indicator of cardiac autonomic neuropathy

Background: Diabetes mellitus refers to group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia due to an absolute or relative deficit in insulin production or action. Diabetes mellitus produces pathological changes in most organs of the body including heart, blood vessels, kidneys, nerves and eyes. Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severely debilitating yet underdiagnosed complication of diabetes. Diabetes-associated cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy damages autonomic nerve fibers that innervate the heart and blood vessels causing abnormalities in heart rate and vascular dynamics.Methods: Total 80 cases of diabetes mellitus were selected. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy in them was diagnosed by a series of tests recommended by Ewing et al, which include - Valsalva ratio, Deep Breath Test, Heart rate response to standing, Postural Hypotension, SHGT Increase in diastolic BP on sustained hand grip. They were divided into 2 groups A and B depending on presence or absence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy. ECG was done to calculate QTc and QTd.Results: In group A mean QTc was 0.344 sec and in group B in patients with mild CAN mean QTc was 0.432, moderate CAN mean QTc was 0.444, and in patients of severe CAN mean QTc was 0.481. p value was 0.001 that it is highly significant. Means more was degree of CAN more was prolongation of QT and similarly more the degree of CAN more was QTd.Conclusions: Diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy by battery of cardiac autonomic function tests is a comlex procedure. The prolongation of QTc interval and more specifically QTd interval on ECG is a marker in diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy which can be easily evaluated.

Identification and performance of multiple clinical and laboratorial risk factors for diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in type 1 diabetes patients.

The incidence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is frequently underestimated. Individuals with T1D and CAN have an increased mortality risk, mainly from cardiovascular causes. The objectives of the present study were to assess the clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with CAN in patients with T1D and verify the ability of multiple clinical factors to help identify patients with this condition. 102 patients with T1D were evaluated for CAN using standardized cardiovascular reflex testing. Clinical characteristics were used to compute a numerical score for CAN diagnosis and a ROC curve elaborated for assessment of the best cutoff to predict CAN. This score was then applied to the second sample of 120 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Prevalence of CAN was around 35% in the first sample of patients and just below 20% in the second sample. Hypertension, total cholesterol, triglycerides, postprandial sweating, diastolic blood pressure, abnormal right and left 10g monofilament, retinopathy, and nephropathy were considered independent predictors of CAN. The CAN-score cut-off was 16.88. This yielded a sensitivity of 50%, specificity 73.8%, positive predictive value 22.9%, and negative predictive value 90.5%. The use of a subset of clinical and laboratory characteristics can be more accessible than the cardiac reflex tests and more accurate than a single isolated characteristic.

Assessment of autonomic nervous system function in type 2 diabetes a war of new era

The scope of our study is the early identification of Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy (DAN) which is either clinically evident or sub clinical using simple bedside clinical tests and neuro electrophysiology techniques as there were only a few Indian studies addressing this issue. A total of 66 patients enrolled in the study, done in Saveetha Medical College hospital, Chennai, Tamilnadu for a period of 6 months after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria,all the patients had type 2 DM of more than 5 years duration, all were above 25 years and below 80 years of age. Basic demographic details collected,blood investigations,ECG were done. Peripheral nervous system was assessed by questionnaire,clinical neurological examination and nerve conduction study. Autonomic function study was done by Cardiovascular Autonomic Reflex Function Tests(Ewing’s battery of five tests) and sympathetic Skin Response (SSR) test. Diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy was observed in 48.48% patients.27.72% of patients showed positive results for expiration to inspiration ratio,39.39% were found to have 30:15 ratio positive, 37.87% have abnormal valsalva ratio,9.09% had positive results for sustained hand grip, only 6.06% of patients had postural hypotension,Parasympathetic involvement is earlier as compared to sympathetic involvement. A statically significant correlation was found between Nerve Conduction Study and ANS study (p-value is 0.00015). An increasing HBA1C correlates well with early ANS involvement. Recommendations to use simple bed side non-invasive ANS tests helps in early detection of Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and prompt early intervention would be clinically meaningful.

DIAGNOSIS OF THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY IN DIABETIC PATIENT

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a very common diabetes-related complication that has a major effect on CVD, mortality and morbidity in patients with DM. Careful and timely testing of CAN with easy standard bedside tests in patients with DM 1 and 2 is critically important for early diagnoses and prophylaxes of further CV complications. Aim of the study was to evaluate the CAN characteristics in DM 1 versus DM 2 patients and to identify the relationship between CAN and typical diabetic complications. Materials and methods. A descriptive and comparative cross-sectional study was developed with 75 patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM 1 — 30 patients, DM 2 — 45 patients) who were hospitalized to the endocrinology department for treatment. All patients were investigated routinely – complains, anamnestic data, objective examination, lab and instrumental examination. For defining of CAN next five classical tests were done (cardiac autonomic reflex testing (CART)): Evaluating of the Resting tachycardia; Heart rate response to deep breathing; Valsalva maneuver; Systolic blood pressure response to standing; Diastolic blood pressure response to sustained handgrip. Results and discussions. Absence of CAN, according to proposed score, was defined in those patients without clinical features of CVD. 46.8% of all patients presented with early and definitive CAN, while the higher prevalence of definitive CAN was diagnosed in DM 2 patients. Severe CAN was confirmed more often in DM 2 patients also. Coexistence of CAN and peripheral neuropathy was higher in patients with DM 1 than in DM 2 patients. Among DM 1 patients with CAN only 11.8% persons had not sensory peripheral neuropathy, while 29.7% DM 2 patients with CAN, were free of sensory peripheral neuropathy. Positive correlations were found between the duration of the DM and manifestations of CAN in patients with DM II, the development of sensory polyneuropathy, retinopathy and CAN in patients with DM I, and this diabetic complication preceded the clinical manifestations of peripheral neuropathy. Thus, the proposed set of diagnostic measures should be obviously and easily used for the timely diagnosis of CAN in diabetic patients, especially in asymptomatic cases, and objectively assessing the effectiveness of the therapy.