Sympathetic sudomotor disturbance in early type 1 diabetes mellitus is linked to lipid peroxidation.

Abstract The present study was performed to determine whether increased lipid peroxidation, as assessed from malondialdehyde (MDA) excretion, is associated with deterioration in peripheral nerve function in early type 1 diabetes mellitus. These parameters were measured annually for 3 years in 36 patients who entered the study less than 2 years after the diagnosis of diabetes. Malondialdehyde excretion was 1.51 ± 0.20 μ mol/g creatinine in the controls, and 2.43 ± 0.21, 2.39 ± 0.22, and 1.93 ± 0.21 μ mol/g creatinine at the first, second, and third evaluations, respectively ( P lc across all years ( P r = −0.42, P r = −0.40, P r = −0.40, P r = −0.38, P P r = −0.45). Tests of sensory function correlated inconsistently with MDA excretion. In summary, lipid peroxidation, as assessed from malondialdehyde excretion, is associated with sudomotor dysfunction in early diabetes.