Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) among patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) at King Hussein hospital.
Methods: This study was done at King Hussein Hospital. Descriptive research design was used to recruit a convenience sample of 202 patients with DM who were referred to diabetes clinic. Data were collected through face-to-face interview. Data collection instrument is composed of two parts; the first part assesses the demographic characteristic, while the second part is a translated version of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.
Results: The sample consisted of 102 male and 100 female patients. Their age ranged from 16 to 88 years (M = 56.19 ± 14.31 years). The mean duration of diabetes was 10.69 ± 8.24 years. The overall prevalence of diabetic PN was (54.45 ± 49.92). The prevalence of diabetic PN was higher in women than men (55 ± 50 VS 53.92 ± 50.09). There were significant increase in prevalence of PN among DM patients with non target glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAIc) (p < 0.05), age ≥ 65 years (p < 0.05), duration of diabetes ≥10 years and body Mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 (p < 0.05).
Conclusion and Recommendations: The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy among patients in this study was high. Diabetic patient should be screened for PN continuously using simple instrument such MNSI. The initial measures that may help in prevention of PN were glycemic control and body weight control. Early detection of PN helps in treatment and proper management.

Key words: Peripheral Neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, glycosylated hemoglobin