Lower serum extracellular superoxide dismutase levels are associated with polyneuropathy in recent-onset diabetes

German researchers have identified a blood marker associated with peripheral nerve dysfunction in patients recently diagnosed with diabetes. Previous studies indicated that oxidative stress plays a major role in the development of chronic nerve damage and other complications of diabetes. High sugar levels not only increase the production of free radicals but also impair the body's antioxidant defence system. Alexander Strom and colleagues from the German Diabetes Center at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, measured the levels of key markers of oxidative stress in over 300 patients with well-managed recent-onset diabetes. They found that lower levels of the antioxidant extracellular superoxide dismutase were associated with the presence of polyneuropathy. These findings suggest that despite good blood glucose control, oxidative stress could lead to nerve damage in the early stages of diabetes.