Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with overweight/obese in Guangdong province, China

Abstract Aims To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with overweight or obese in Guangdong province in China. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on T2DM patients with overweight/obese in 60 hospitals in Guangdong province. Methods of data collection included questionnaire, clinical examination, blood draw and clinical measurement. Demographic characteristics, diagnosis of diabetes and DPN, disease history, life styles and self-management, most recent laboratory test results and physical examination were collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess risk factors of DPN. Results A total of 3359 T2DM patients (age range 20–90 years) were recruited. The overall prevalence of DPN was 33.1%. Binary logistic regression identified age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.016, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.008, 1.024), duration of diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.072, 95% CI: 1.056, 1.087) and HbA1c (OR: 1.053, 95% CI: 1.013, 1.095) as risk factors for the presence of DPN. Conclusions DPN is prevalent in T2DM patients with overweight or obese in Guangdong province in China and is significantly associated with age, HbA1c and duration of diabetes.