Diabetologie und Stoffwechsel 2015; 10 - P265
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1549771

Association between interleukin-6 and motor nerve conduction in individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes: results from the German Diabetes Study

I Schamarek 1, 2, C Herder 1, 2, B Nowotny 1, 2, K Straßburger 3, M Carstensen-Kirberg 1, 2, P Nowotny 1, 2, A Strom 1, 2, S Püttgen 1, 2, K Müssig 1, 2, 4, J Szendroedi 1, 2, 4, D Ziegler 1, 2, 4, M Roden 1, 2, 4
  • 1Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 2German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 3Institute for Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center, Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 4Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

Objective: Biomarkers of subclinical inflammation are associated with distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy, but their relationship to objective electrophysiological measures has not been assessed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate associations between inflammation-related biomarkers and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in the German Diabetes Study (GDS).

Methods: Motor and sensory NCV were assessed in 513 patients with newly diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes (n = 331 and 182, respectively; age 47 ± 14 years, 64.5% male, BMI 29.5 ± 6.4 kg/m2, duration since diagnosis 185 ± 98 days). Associations between biomarkers of subclinical inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin [IL]-6 and IL-18) and motor as well as sensory NCV were estimated using multiple linear regression models adjusted for diabetes type, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, waist circumference, height, hypertension, cholesterol, smoking, physical activity, medication and history of myocardial infarction and/or stroke.

Results: Serum IL-6 was inversely associated with median and peroneal motor NCV (β=-0.17, P = 0.003 and β=-0.16, P = 0.005, respectively), whereas no associations were observed for ulnar motor NCV (β=-0.10, P = 0.11) and median, ulnar or sural sensory NCV (all P > 0.3). Serum CRP and IL-18 were neither associated with motor nor sensory NCV.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that IL-6 may play a role in slowed motor NCV rather than sensory NCV in individuals with recent-onset diabetes. The lack of associations for CRP and IL-18 points to a specific rather than general relationship between inflammation-related biomarkers and NCV.