Background and aims: Nerve conduction study (NCS) measures how fast an electrical impulse moves through the nerve and is a standard technique for diagnosing and assessing neurological diseases. Despite diabetes and obesity being a common accompaniment of peripheral neuropathy, their effects on NCS patterns have not been elucidated conclusively. Our study aimed to assess several anthropometric and metabolic factors with NCS outcomes to address this gap.
Research design and methods: This retrospective chart analysis study was conducted on subjects who underwent NCS between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019 at a regional hospital. Metabolic, anthropometric, demographical and NCS data were collected from patients' health records.
Results: In total, 120 subjects presenting with sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy symptoms were included in the study. Age, HbA1c, urea and ESR variables were significantly negatively associated with nerve conduction outcomes (Spearman's correlation rho between -0.210 and -0.456, p < 0.038). HbA1c and age consistently had the most substantial contribution to velocity and amplitude in all regression models (beta coefficients between -0.157 and 0.516, p < 0.001). Urea also significantly account for a large amount of variance in amplitude and velocity in the lower limbs.
Conclusion: This study suggests that the severity of sensorimotor neuropathy is influenced by glycaemic control, age and uraemia. The interpretation of NCS results must consider these factors suggesting that improved glycaemic and uraemic control may improve nerve conduction outcomes.
Keywords: anthropometry; body mass index; nerve conduction study; peripheral neuropathy.