Prevalence, Risk Factors and Consequences of Chronic Polyneuropathy : The Rotterdam Study

Polyneuropathy is a chronic disease characterized by symmetric tingling sensations, numbness and neuropathic pain in the hands and feet. There is a lack of knowledge about the prevalence and risk factors of this disease, especially on population level. Within the Rotterdam Study, a large population-based study, we employed an extensive polyneuropathy screening consisting of a symptom questionnaire, neurological examination and nerve conduction studies. With this screening we prospectively screened 1310 participants and found a definite polyneuropathy in 5.5% of persons above 45 years of age, and this percentage increased drastically with age. In 46% of persons with polyneuropathy, no established risk factor was present (chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy), which highlights the need for further studies on risk factors for this disease. Aside from diabetes, which probably is the most important known risk factor for chronic polyneuropathy, we identified metabolic syndrome and especially (abdominal) obesity and dyslipidemia as potential risk factors for polyneuropathy. Importantly, these factors also associated with decreased peripheral nerve function in persons (yet) without signs or symptoms of polyneuropathy. This suggest that these factors have role in the pathophysiology of chronic axonal polyneuropathies, but longitudinal studies are required to confirm these associations. We also studied the effect of polyneuropathy on daily life and found that polyneuropathy associated with impairment in several basic activities of daily living, such as arising, dressing and grooming, eating and walking. Furthermore, persons with polyneuropathy have an increased risk of falling, and on the potential consequences of falling, such as head trauma and fractures. To conclude, polyneuropathy is a very common, often idiopathic, disabling disorder. More research is necessary to elucidate the pathophysiology of this multifactorial disease

Diet quality and chronic axonal polyneuropathy: a population-based study

Objective: To investigate the association between diet quality and chronic axonal polyneuropathy. Methods: Between June 2013 and January 2017, among 1650 participants of the Rotterdam Study (median age 69.1 years, 54.2% women), diet quality was quantified based on food frequency questionnaires as a sum score of adherence (yes/no) to 14 components of the Dutch dietary guidelines. Presence of polyneuropathy was determined based on a questionnaire, neurological examination of the legs, and nerve conduction studies. We used logistic regression to associate diet quality with the presence of chronic axonal polyneuropathy and linear regression to associate with sural sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude in participants without polyneuropathy. Results were adjusted for age, sex, time between measurement

Increased oxidative stress as a risk factor in chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy

Chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) is a disorder with insidious onset and slow progression, where no etiology is identified despite appropriate investigations. We aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress as a risk factor for the pathogenesis of CIAP. Sera of patients with CIAP were tested for protein carbonyl (PC) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8H). As a control group, we recruited patients with gluten neuropathy. Twenty-one patients with CIAP and 21 controls were recruited. The two groups did not differ significantly regarding demographics or clinical characteristics (i.e., neuropathy type or disease severity). After adjusting for gender, having CIAP was positively correlated with both the 8H titer (standardized beta coefficient 0.349, p = 0.013) and the PC titer (standardized beta coefficient 0.469, p = 0.001). Oxidative stress appears to be increased in CIAP and might have a role in the pathogenesis of the disease

Emergency medicine in Paarl, South Africa: a cross-sectional descriptive study

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The epidemiology and risk factors of chronic polyneuropathy

10.1007/s10654-015-0094-6European Journal of Epidemiology3115-2