Journal List > J Korean Diabetes Assoc > v.31(2) > 1062429

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Jin, Jeung, Kim, Park, Baek, and Park: Erythropoietin Levels According to the Presence of Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients with Anemia
Original Article
The Journal of Korean Diabetes Association

The Journal of Korean Diabetes Association 2007; 31(2): 151-156.

Published online: 31 March 2007

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/jkda.2007.31.2.151

Erythropoietin Levels According to the Presence of Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetic Patients with Anemia

Heung Yong Jin, Su Jin Jeung, Chong Hwa Kim1, Ji Hyun Park, Hong Sun Baek, Tae Sun Park

Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Korea.

1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Bucheon Sejong Hospital, Korea.

Received 5 December 2006       Accepted 5 February 2007

Copyright © 2007 Korean Diabetes Association

Abstract

Background

Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus, contributing the greatest morbidity and mortality and impairing the quality of life. Recently the receptor of erythropoietin (Epo) was proven to be expressed in neuronal cell and recombinant human Epo (rhEpo) has been shown to have neuroprotective and neurotrophic potential in peripheral neuropathy. But there is no report about baseline Epo level in blood before rhEpo treatment with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Methods

From Jan. 2000 to Sep. 2006, diabetic patients were reviewed about Epo level in blood, anemia, and peripheral neuropathy in Chonbuk National University Hospital. And we compared the mean value of baseline Epo level in diabetic patients with anemia according to the peripheral neuropathy.

Results

The mean value of Epo of patients with peripheral neuropathy was lower than that of patients without peripheral neuropathy (16.3 ± 7.1 vs 26.1 ± 29.7 mU/mL, P < 0.05). There was no significance in the correlation between hemoglobin and Epo level in diabetic patients with anemia irrespective of presence of peripheral neuropathy (r = -0.02, P = 0.81).

Conclusion

We suggest that decreased Epo level in blood is possible to be an additional cause in the development of peripheral neuropathy. However, simultaneously another possibility that neuropathy causes reduced Epo level should be considered, so further studies are warranted in this field.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Erythropoietin, Peripheral neuropathy

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
The comparison of serum Epo level between anemic patients with DPN and anemic patients without DPN. DPN, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Epo, Erythropoietin
jkda-31-151-g001
Fig. 2
The correlation between the level of serum Epo and hemoglobin in diabetic patients with anemia.
Correlation coefficient was not statistically significant irrespective of presence of DPN (r = -0.02, P = 0.81 in all patients, r = -0.046, P = 0.68 in subgroup without DPN, r = -0.003, P = 0.97 in subgroup with DPN). DPN, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Epo, Erythropoietin; Hb, hemoglobin.
jkda-31-151-g002
Table 1
Baseline characteristics of the diabetic patients with anemia
jkda-31-151-i001

Data are presented as means ± SD.

Ccr, Creatinine clearance; DPN, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy; Epo, Erythropoietin; N, number.

*P < 0.05, between patients with DPN and patients without DPN.

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