Autonomic neuropathy and diabetic foot ulceration.

Autonomic function was studied in three groups of insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Heart rate changes during deep breathing and on standing were significantly less in 28 patients with a recent history of foot ulceration compared with 40 patients with peripheral neuropathy but without ulceration (p less than 0.001) and 54 patients without neuropathy (p less than 0.001). Sympathetic function was assessed in 36 of these patients from peripheral arterial diastolic flow patterns obtained by Doppler ultrasound measurements and expressed as the pulsatility index (PI). Patients with a history of ulceration (n = 10) showed considerably increased diastolic flow (PI = 4.28 +/- 0.53, mean +/- S.E.M.) compared with 12 neuropathic patients with no history of ulceration (PI = 7.80 +/- 0.68, p less than 0.002) and 14 patients without neuropathy (PI = 9.55 +/- 0.89, p less than 0.002). Severely abnormal autonomic function occurs in association with neuropathic foot ulceration, but patients without ulcers have lesser degrees of autonomic neuropathy, thus a causal relationship has not been established.