Peripheral neuropathy in diabetes - methods for detecting large and small nerve fiber neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a frequent long-term complication of diabetes mellitus, affecting up to 50% of all people with type 2 diabetes. It affects both myelinated and non-myelinated nerve fibers and dysfunction of different nerve fibers can be evaluated using a number of methods. This thesis focuses on two novel methods for detection of peripheral neuropathy: investigation of vibration perception thresholds (VPTs) through multifrequency vibrometry and assessment of the intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) in skin samples.

The aim of the project is to constitute reference values for VPTs and IENFD as well as to identify the affecting factors. Additionally, we aim to investigate the clinical implication of both methods in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes in order to achieve a greater knowledge of the effect of diabetes on the peripheral nervous system with methods that can be implemented in clinical routines.