Assessment of the nervous tissue damage and life quality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes mellitus. It usually develops over 10 - 20 years of disease. However, it is known that the timing of disease diagnosis and the actual disease onset often differs. Since type 2 diabetes mellitus manifests gradually without obvious symptoms, the diagnosis is usually clarified only 6 - 9 years after the actual onset. Numbness, foot ulcers and amputation of the extremities increase this disease related mortality. Mortality is also affected by autonomic cardiovascular neuropathy and other cardiovascular diseases. The goals of the study: 1. Estimate a frequency of chronic sensory diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes patients. 2. Estimate a frequency and characteristics of autonomic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes patients. 3. Evaluate a value of Michigan questionnaire in diagnostic of diabetic neuropathy. 4. Evaluate a value of quantitative methods in diagnostic of diabetic neuropathy. 5. Assess a life quality of patients with diabetic neuropathy. The study results stimulate to draft the recommendations and methods for the evaluation of diabetic neuropathy enabling family physicians and specialists to diagnose this complication early