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Serum VEGF increases in diabetic polyneuropathy, particularly in the neurologically active symptomatic stage
Author(s) -
Deguchi T.,
Hashiguchi T.,
Horinouchi S.,
Uto T.,
Oku H.,
Kimura K.,
Makisumi K.,
Arimura K.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2009.02680.x
Subject(s) - medicine , asymptomatic , stage (stratigraphy) , diabetes mellitus , vascular endothelial growth factor , gastroenterology , polyneuropathy , retinopathy , diabetic nephropathy , vegf receptors , peripheral neuropathy , diabetic retinopathy , diabetic neuropathy , nephropathy , endocrinology , urology , surgery , paleontology , biology
Aim To identify the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). Methods Two hundred and twenty diabetic patients participated, 113 with DPN and 107 without DPN. All patients were also classified according to the four stages of DPN (no neuropathy: stage 0; asymptomatic neuropathy: stage 1; symptomatic neuropathy: stage 2; disabling neuropathy: stage 3). Serum VEGF concentration was measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and levels between the patients with and without DPN and also between the different stages of DPN, were compared. Results The mean serum VEGF level in all patients was 264.6 ± 218.8 pg/ml. The mean serum VEGF level was higher in patients with DPN (310.1 ± 224.3 pg/ml) than in the patients without DPN (216.5 ± 204.0 pg/ml, P = 0.0014). Serum VEGF was higher in the ‘symptomatic’ stage (stage 2, 364.8 ± 225.9 pg/ml) in comparison with the ‘asymptomatic’ (stage 1, 256.7 ± 224.4 pg/ml, P = 0.015) and ‘disabling’ (stage 3, 180.3 ± 109.4 pg/ml, P = 0.042) stages. The mean serum VEGF level in patients with diabetic retinopathy (261.1 ± 210.6 pg/ml) and in patients with diabetic nephropathy (241.5 ± 185.7 pg/ml) was not increased. Conclusions The serum VEGF level is increased in patients with DPN, particularly in patients in the neurologically active ‘symptomatic’ stage.