Burning sensation in the feet and glycosylated haemoglobin levels in Swedish- and non-Swedish-born primary healthcare patients

Abstract

Background: A painful burning sensation in the feet is a common problem. The most common cause is small fibre neuropathy, a type of peripheral neuropathy that is often a consequence of diabetes and prediabetes.

Aim: To examine the association between a self-reported burning sensation in the feet and HbA1c levels in primary healthcare patients.

Methods: This study used data from patients in the 4D diabetes project in Swedish primary healthcare. The study population included 824 patients. Logistic regression was performed to study the association between the outcome and explanatory variables.

Results: A total of 24% of patients reported a burning sensation in the feet. This sensation was not associated with HbA1c levels. However, the probability of reporting a burning sensation was two times higher in non-Swedish-born than Swedish-born patients (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.55-3.44) and higher in smokers than those who had never smoked, regardless of region of birth (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.07-2.65).

Conclusions: Our results do not support the hypothesis that a self-reported burning sensation in the feet is associated with HbA1c levels. Rather, they indicate a strong relationship between a burning sensation and region of birth, as well as between a burning sensation and smoking.

Keywords: Burning sensation in the feet; Diabetes; HbA1c; Prediabetes; Region of birth; Small fibre neuropathy.