ABSTRACT
Defects of the peripheral nervous system are common in patients with diabetes mellitus, and a large fraction of patients will develop a form of diabetic neu ropathy within 25 years after diagnosis (1). Although a rigid classification of diabetic neuropathy is difficult, at least three major syndromes are recognized: symmetrical distal polyneuropathy, symmetrical proximal motor neuropathies, and focal asymmetrical neuropathies (2-4). As in most polyneuropathies, sen sory, motor, and autonomic nerves are concomitantly involved although sen sory dysfunction usually predominates.
