Suresh Padmini1, Rakesh Pulichikkat2, Sachin Venugopal Menon3, Rahul Abbas4
BACKGROUND
Autonomous neuropathy is one of the least focused complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in clinical practice. CAN is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality associated with a high risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. Higher urinary albumin excretion has been suggested as a predicting diabetic nephropathy. This cross-sectional study sought to determine relationship of CAN with early renal decline in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Over a period of two years, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after careful exclusion of other risk factors for proteinuria, 199 patients were included in this cross-sectional survey. CAN was measured by portable ANSiscope and 24-hour urine microalbumin level was estimated. Correlation was sought between the two variable.
RESULTS
Out of the 199 patients chosen for the study, 127 were male. The mean age of diabetes was 6.4±3.9 years. 57.8% had late or advanced CAN and there was a significant linear correlation with 24-hour urine microalbumin levels.
CONCLUSION
Measurement of CAN is an effective way to assess the level of cardiac sympathetic dysfunction due to disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus of more than 5 years duration. Urine microalbumin levels correlate with the degree of CAN. There is a strong need to conduct more studies about CAN to fully understand its pathology and develop treatment strategies to reduce cardiac mortality.
