Research Article
Is the C677T polymorphism in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene or plasma homocysteine a risk factor for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Chinese individuals?☆
Hongli Wang, Dongsheng Fan, Tianpei Hong
Published:
October 25, 2012
DOI:
10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2012.30.009
License:
Copyright: © Neural Regeneration Research2012This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The present study enrolled 251 diabetic patients, including 101 with neuropathy and 150 without neuropathy. Of the 150 patients, 100 had no complications, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, or neuropathy. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to identify methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene variants. Plasma homocysteine levels were also measured. Homocysteine levels and the frequency of hyperhomocysteinemia were significantly higher in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy compared with diabetic patients without neuropathy (P < 0.05). In logistic regression analysis with neuropathy as the dependent variable, the frequency of C677T in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase was significantly higher in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy compared with patients without diabetic complications. Homocysteine levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy carrying the 677T allele and low folic acid levels. In conclusion, hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for diabetic neuropathy in Chinese patients with diabetes. The C677T polymorphism in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and low folic acid levels may be risk factors for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Chinese patients with diabetes.