Link Found Between Smoking and Diabetic Neuropathy

Researchers have found a link between smoking and diabetic neuropathy. A study found that 62 percent of patients with diabetic neuropathy smoked cigarettes compared with 33 percent of patients who didn’t smoke.

Patients were entered into the study if they scored greater than 12 on the self-completed Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS) pain scale, self-reported nerve pain, or were treated at hospitals with neuropathic pain as noted in hospital charts.

The participants in the study then underwent a clinical evaluation to determine whether their pain was truly part of the neuropathic pain complex. Their current smoking habits were also determined; about 13% of the patients smoked. The researchers found that the 13% of smokers in the study made up 21% of the patients who were suffering from neuropathic pain.

“When a smoker comes into your office and complains of diabetic neuropathy, it may be a good teaching moment,” commented Rollin Gallagher, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry and anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania.
He said it is a good time to outline for the patient how smoking and diabetes both cause insult to the nerves, especially the long nerves of the legs and arms.
“It is not clear exactly why smoking appears to increase the risk of diabetic neuropathy,” said Toby Weingarten, M.D., a co-author of the study with Todd Call, M.D. and a Mayo colleague. He said some doctors believe that smoking causes some sort of ischemic injury secondary to diabetes in exacerbating the pain.