Recent Trends in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Neuropathies: A Retrospective Hospital-based Nationwide Cohort Study

Endocr Pract. 2024 Oct;30(10):901-907. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2024.07.011. Epub 2024 Jul 25.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the trends in the incidence of diabetic neuropathy (DN) and nondiabetic neuropathy (non-DN) in a hospital-based cohort between 2010 and 2019 in Romania.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cases with a primary or secondary discharge International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, diagnosis code of neuropathy reported throughout Romania.

Results: A total of 1 725 729 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of neuropathy (DN, 769 324 - 44.6%, and non-DN, 956 405- 55.4%) were identified. Women accounted for more DN cases (40 0 936- 52.1%), and men accounted for more non-DN cases (63 7 968- 61.0%). The incidence rate showed an increasing trend during the index period, by a mean rate of 4.3%/year for non-DN and 1.4%/year for DN. Type 2 diabetes was responsible for the overall increase in the incidence rate of DN, whereas in type 1 diabetes, the incidence rate decreased; in both types of diabetes, diabetic polyneuropathy was predominant, whereas autonomic neuropathy had an incidence rate of 10 to 20 times lower than polyneuropathy. The incidence rates of non-DNs increased mainly due to inflammatory polyneuropathies (+3.8%) and uremic neuropathy (+10.3%).

Conclusion: Using a nationally representative database of hospital-admitted cases, we found that the incidence rates of DN and non-DN increased from 2010 to 2019. The main contributors were type 2 diabetes, inflammatory polyneuropathy, and uremic neuropathy.

Keywords: diabetes complication; diabetic neuropathy; epidemiology; nondiabetic neuropathies.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cohort Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / epidemiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
  • Diabetic Neuropathies* / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Hospitalization / trends
  • Hospitals / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / epidemiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Romania / epidemiology
  • Young Adult