Detectıon of vısual-audıtory reactıon rates ın ındıvıduals wıth type 2 dıabetes mellıtus

AIM: The primary purpose of our study was to understand the damage in the peripheral nerves of patients with diabetes and to determine the change in patients’ reaction rates and perceptions by the age groups, duration of diabetes, fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c values, and compare these with those of the healthy individuals.METHODS: This study was carried out at the Baskent University Hospital Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Outpatient Clinic. A total of 64 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 64 healthy controls were included in the study. Finger tapping, visual, and auditory reaction time tests were performed on the subjects, respectively. The subjects’ fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels, and the duration of their diabetes were recorded. Analyses were performed using the SPSS version 25. Differences were considered statistically significant when the p-value is <0.05.RESULTS: It was observed that the participants in the control group between the ages of 18-34 showed a faster reaction in all tests (p=0.01), but the difference in reaction rates in both groups decreased as the age increased. There were positive correlations between the duration of type 2 diabetes and the visual and auditory examination results (r= 0.69, p<0.05, r=0.52, p<0.05, respectively). There was also a positive correlation between the HbA1c (%) and the visual (r=0.97, p<0.05) examination results.CONCLUSIONS: As the patients’ HbA1c levels and the time spent with type 2 diabetes increased, their reaction rate and perception skills decreased. Especially in the early stages of the disease, cognitive decline was observed to be rapid. It is thought that early diabetic control is significant.