Effect of 3-month α-lipoic acid treatment on sural nerve conduction velocity and amplitude in patients with diabetic neuropathy: a pilot study

Abstract

Our sample consisted of 32 consecutive T2D patients (12 male), with mean age (± standard deviation) 67.9 ± 8.6 years, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.1 ±1.0%, body mass index 30.7 ±11.2 kg/m² and T2D duration 14.1 ±5.3 years, attending the diabetes outpatient clinic of our hospital between September 2018 and February 2019. 72.7% of study patients were on oral antidiabetic medication and 26.5% on insulin therapy. Diagnosis of DN was based on the presence of at least one neuropathic symptom (burning, shooting pain, paraesthesia, muscle cramps or allodynia) in the lower extremities, and previous treatment for DN for ≥ 3 months before enrollment in the study [1]. Participants were prescribed 600 mg/day ALA (Combinerv), to be administered orally, for 3 months, and were advised not to discontinue any other medication for DN, antidiabetic drugs, or substances used for managing arterial hypertension or dyslipidemia during the study. All study patients underwent a complete clinical examination and measurement of SNCV and SNAP using the NCstat DPNCheck test (NeuroMetrix, Inc., Waltham, MA) at study entry and after 3 months of ALA treatment. The results of the present study showed no effect of 3-month ALA treatment on SNCV and SNAP. In fact, there is no current evidence regarding an effective therapy for enhancing peripheral nerve function in patients with DN although a recent review showed that several treatments, including ALA, are effective in improving DN symptoms [4, 5].