Diabetic neuropathy is defined as the presence of symptoms and signs of
peripheral nerve dysfunction in diabetics. The aim of this study is to develop a
predictive logistic model to identify the risk of losing protective sensitivity in
the foot. This descriptive cross-sectional study included 111 patients diagnosed
with diabetes mellitus. Participants completed a questionnaire designed to
evaluate neuropathic symptoms, and multivariate analysis was subsequently
performed to identify an optimal predictive model. The explanatory capacity
was evaluated by calculating the R2 coefficient of Nagelkerke. Predictive capacity
was evaluated by calculating sensitivity, specificity, and estimation of the
area under the receiver operational curve. Protective sensitivity loss was
detected in 19.1% of participants. Variables associated by multivariate analysis
were: educational level (OR: 31.4, 95% CI: 2.5-383.3, P = .007) and two items
from the questionnaire: one related to bleeding and wet socks (OR: 28.3, 95%
CI: 3.7-215.9, P = .001) and the other related to electrical sensations (OR: 52.9,
95% CI: 4.3-643.9, P = .002), which were both statistically significant. The predictive
model included the variables of age, sex, duration of diabetes, and educational
level, and it had a sensitivity of 81.3% and a specificity of 95.5%. This
model has a high predictive capacity to identify patients at risk of developing
sensory neuropathy.
