Close relationship between β2-microglobulin and type 2 diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy.

Abstract

Aims/introduction: This study aimed to elucidate the correlation between β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) and peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Materials and methods: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) was defined on the nerve conduction study (NCS). The general information and relevant clinical data of patients with T2DM were retrospectively analyzed using logistic regression to identify independent risk factors. The discriminative ability of individual and combined risk factors was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results: A total of 1,219 patients with T2DM who received medical care at Dongyang People's Hospital between January 2023 and December 2023 were included in this study. Of the 954 patients with abnormal NCS findings, 899 exhibited sensory abnormalities, whereas 492 exhibited motor abnormalities. Multivariate analysis showed that DPN was positively correlated with age (P < 0.001), β2-MG (P = 0.022), uric acid (P = 0.028), and male sex (P < 0.001), but negatively correlated with albumin (P < 0.001). The combined discriminative power of these risk factors was 0.754, with β2-MG showing the highest individual diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.710).

Conclusions: T2DM patients with advanced age, elevated β2-MG and uric acid levels, and hypoalbuminemia have higher DPN possibilities; follow-up confirmation with NCS may facilitate the early diagnosis and management of peripheral neuropathy.