Genes may predict peripheral neuropathy risk in diabetes

By Geoff Michaels, June 7th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

Researchers have found that people with diabetes who carry specific variants of the APOE gene are more at risk of developing peripheral neuropathy.
Around 50 per cent of people with diabetes develop peripheral neuropathy, where impaired circulation leads to nerve damage in the feet. This raises the risk of diabetic foot ulcers and other complications. It’s known that tight control of blood sugar can delay or even prevent neuropathy. Research shows that certain people could be more at risk of neuropathy because of their genetic make-up.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that diabetic patients carrying the ApoE4 gene variant seem to be vulnerable to neuropathy. The ApoE gene comes in three variants - 2,3 and 4. People inheriting two APOE4 variants and one APOE3 and one APOE4 variant are most at risk. This information will be helpful in pinpointing those who have the most to gain from keeping their blood sugar under control. It will also be interesting to see if other gene variants are involved in the risk of diabetic neuropathy.