The natural history of diabetic peripheral neuropathy determined by a 12 year prospective study using vibration perception thresholds

The development and long term progression of diabetic peripheral neuropathy was studied using vibration perception threshold (VPT) as a validated measure. Three hundred and ninety-two patients had a normal age corrected VPT (12.1±3.7 volts) at baseline, with an age corrected logarithmic VPTscore 10.1) and thermal thresholds can identify diabetic patients at risk of developing peripheral neuropathy and select patients likely to benefit from prophylaxis in clinical trials.