Vibrotactile perception on the sole of the foot in an older group of people with normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes

Magnus Peterson, Ronnie Pingel, Olov Rolandsson, Lars B Dahlin, Magnus Peterson, Ronnie Pingel, Olov Rolandsson, Lars B Dahlin

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate vibrotactile sense in an older group of people with normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes relative to other sensory tests.

Methods: Vibration perception thresholds on the sole of the foot (Multifrequency vibrametry and Biothesiometer) were compared to the results from evaluation of touch (monofilament), electrophysiology (sural nerve) and thermal sensation (Thermotest®).

Results: Vibration perception and temperature thresholds, as well as sural nerve function, differed between normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Measuring vibration perception thresholds at lower frequencies with multifrequency vibrametry versus biothesiometer provided correlations similar to sural nerve amplitude. Temperature thresholds correlated with vibration perception thresholds and sural nerve function. Monofilaments revealed pathology in only a few participants with type 2 diabetes.

Conclusions: In an older group of people, vibration perception thresholds show a correlation similar to sural nerve amplitude on tactile and non-tactile surfaces. Measuring a vibration perception threshold on a tactile surface in type 2 diabetes provides no clear advantage over measuring it on the medial malleolus. In older type 2 diabetes subjects, both large and small diameter nerve fibers are affected.

Keywords: Vibration perception thresholds; diabetic neuropathy; electrophysiology; multifrequency vibrametry; sural nerve.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

© The Author(s) 2020.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Standardized differences between means of groups and extremities.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Correlations (Spearman) between different methods for the examination of peripheral nerve function in the foot. The units of measurement for the methods displayed are the same as in Table 2.

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