The Medical Journal of Basrah University

Abstract

ABSTRACT
To establish the usefulness of evoked potential testing in the diagnosis of central nervous system disorders in patients
with diabetes mellitus, a group of forty diabetic patients (23 males and 17 females, 20 with type 1 and 20 with type 2)
were studied They were matched in terms of age and sex with another group of 50 apparently healthy controls (31
males and 19 females). Visual evoked potential test for both diabetic patients and controls and nerve conduction study
for diabetics were done. Fasting plasma glucose level was estimated prior to recording of visual evoked potential. The
mean P100 latencies were significantly prolonged in diabetic patients with a mean ± standard deviation of
(109.87±9.63) as compared with controls (104.08 3.31), (P=0.014). The mean P100 amplitude was (4.63 ± 1.45) in
diabetic patients while in controls of (4.78 ± 2.55), (P=0.873). A positive correlation was reported between fasting
plasma glucose level and prolonged P 100 latencies but not with the type and duration of diabetes, presence of distal
symmetrical polyneuropathy, age and sex of diabetic patients. In conclusions visual evoked potential test enables a
diagnosis and objective evaluation of central nervous system disorders in diabetic patients and its abnormality
correlates with the level of plasma glucose but not with the type, duration of diabetes, presence of distal symmetrical
polyneuropathy, age and sex of patients.