Prevalence of Sensory Ataxia in Type 2 Diabetic Polyneuropathy: Case Control Study

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have shown that type 2 diabetes is associated with elevated risk of polyneuropathy, which is, in turn, a significant risk factor for sensory ataxia. However, the prevalence of sensory ataxia among patients with type 2 diabetic polyneuropathy has not been investigated in the Saudi context. The present study is an effort aiming to address this research gap.

Aims: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of sensory ataxia among patients with type 2 diabetic polyneuropathy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the period between December 2023 and February 2024.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted among 15 patients with type 2 diabetes and 15 control participants attending the Neurology Clinic in one large private hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All participants were invited to sign a written informed consent. After obtaining informed consent from all participants, the researcher interviewed each one of them. The researcher adopted a semi-structured pattern of interview questions.

Results: Members of the case group reported inability to sense the turning fork. It was also found that they had high levels of cholesterol. Moreover, findings show sensory ataxia was highly prevalent among members of case group, thereby indicating a strong correlation between sensory ataxia in type 2 diabetic polyneuropathy.

Conclusion: Sensory ataxia was found to be prevalent among patients with type 2 diabetic polyneuropathy. It is recommended to conduct further research in order to obtain new findings that can be generalized to the Saudi context.