Researchers studied 202 patients with type 2 diabetes to see if there was a connection between narrowed arteries and problems with nerve function. They measured artery narrowing in the neck (carotid) and legs, and tested nerve conduction in several nerves. The main goal was to see if the severity of artery narrowing was linked to how many nerves showed abnormal electrical activity.
The study found that narrowing in the leg arteries was significantly associated with a higher number of nerve conduction abnormalities. For each increase in the grade of leg artery narrowing, the odds of having nerve problems increased by about 50%. The link with neck artery narrowing was weaker and not statistically significant. The nerve problems seemed more pronounced in nerves further down the leg, which fits a common pattern seen in diabetic nerve damage.
No safety issues from the tests were reported. The biggest reason for caution is the study's design. It was a cross-sectional study, meaning all measurements were taken at one point in time. This makes it impossible to know if the artery narrowing came before the nerve problems or vice versa, or if something else is causing both. The findings suggest these two conditions are related in people with diabetes, but more research is needed to understand the nature of that relationship.