Diabetic myelopathy occurred in 41% of 75 consecutive, unselected diabetic patients in an autopsy study; clinical peripheral neuropathy occurred in 13%, and histologic radiculopathy in 21%. Infection represented 2.7% of the cord lesions. Posterior column demyelination, seen in 27%, apparently has the same metabolic-toxic origin as diabetic neuropathy and radiculopathy; it is an independent lesion, not a secondary manifestation of peripheral demyelination. It occurs slightly more frequently in those with juvenile-onset diabetes. Spinal cord infarcts, seen in 19%, are related to arteriolar sclerosis of the intrinsic vessels of the spinal cord. They have a higher incidence in diabetics than in a nondiabetic aging population, show a predilection for the white matter, and are usually small. The myelopathy is not related to patient age or duration of diabetes. It is often clinically occult.
CITATION STYLE
Slager, U. T. (1978). Diabetic myelopathy. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 102(9), 467–469. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45147-3_33
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