Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

<b>Background</b>: Microvascular disease (MVD) describes systemic changes in small vessels (~100 µm diameter or smaller) that impair tissue oxygenation and perfusion. MVD has been demonstrated to play an independent role in the risk of limb loss. Despite this relevance, MVD is not regula...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ikeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai, Scott R. French, Shannon M. Knapp, Mallory Thompson, Juan C. Arias, Pamela Garcia-Filion, Bujji Ainapurapu, Tze-Woei Tan, Craig C. Weinkauf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Diabetology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4540/6/4/24
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850183652516823040
author Ikeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai
Scott R. French
Shannon M. Knapp
Mallory Thompson
Juan C. Arias
Pamela Garcia-Filion
Bujji Ainapurapu
Tze-Woei Tan
Craig C. Weinkauf
author_facet Ikeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai
Scott R. French
Shannon M. Knapp
Mallory Thompson
Juan C. Arias
Pamela Garcia-Filion
Bujji Ainapurapu
Tze-Woei Tan
Craig C. Weinkauf
author_sort Ikeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background</b>: Microvascular disease (MVD) describes systemic changes in small vessels (~100 µm diameter or smaller) that impair tissue oxygenation and perfusion. MVD has been demonstrated to play an independent role in the risk of limb loss. Despite this relevance, MVD is not regularly assessed clinically because tools used to evaluate and quantify the severity of MVD of the foot remain limited. We sought to evaluate if the Semmes-Weinstein 10-g Monofilament (SWM) can be used to stratify clinical MVD severity. <b>Methods</b>: We evaluated a racially diverse cohort of 124 patients (with 248 limbs). SWM testing was performed on the plantar aspect of the feet at 1st, 3rd<sup>,</sup> and 5th metatarsophalangeal joints. Clinical MVD was stratified in an ascending order of severity into: no diabetes; type 2 diabetes (DM); diabetes+ neuropathy (DM+N); diabetes + neuropathy + retinopathy (DM+N+R). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between a patient’s clinical MVD severity and an abnormal SWM test. <b>Results</b>: Sixty-four patients (51.6%) tested had an abnormal sensation. The odds of an abnormal SWM test were significantly higher for patients with DM+N and DM+N+R compared to those with no DM respectively. (DM vs. No DM: OR: 3.58, [0.98–13.09], <i>p</i> = 0.05; DM+N vs. No DM: OR: 30.46, [10.33–105.17], <i>p</i> < 0.001; DM+N+R vs. No DM: OR: 43.00, [9.89–309.17], <i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, we categorized SWM based on the degree of sensation loss and found that the proportion of people with a higher degree of sensation loss increased across the clinical MVD severity spectrum. <b>Conclusions</b>: Abnormal SWM sensation strongly correlates with the severity of clinical MVD. This suggests that a simple, non-invasive, 1-min SWM test that can be done in the clinic is a promising tool in assessing MVD in the feet, which is particularly significant considering MVD involvement in limb loss.
format Article
id doaj-art-9f53dbbc16784f2b903ce33c56aa7357
institution OA Journals
issn 2673-4540
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Diabetology
spelling doaj-art-9f53dbbc16784f2b903ce33c56aa73572025-08-20T02:17:19ZengMDPI AGDiabetology2673-45402025-03-01642410.3390/diabetology6040024Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes MellitusIkeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai0Scott R. French1Shannon M. Knapp2Mallory Thompson3Juan C. Arias4Pamela Garcia-Filion5Bujji Ainapurapu6Tze-Woei Tan7Craig C. Weinkauf8Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USADivision of Vascular Surgery, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Rm 4402, Tucson, AZ 85724, USADivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USADivision of Vascular Surgery, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Rm 4402, Tucson, AZ 85724, USADivision of Vascular Surgery, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Rm 4402, Tucson, AZ 85724, USADivision of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USADepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USADepartment of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USADivision of Vascular Surgery, College of Medicine-Tucson, University of Arizona, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Rm 4402, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA<b>Background</b>: Microvascular disease (MVD) describes systemic changes in small vessels (~100 µm diameter or smaller) that impair tissue oxygenation and perfusion. MVD has been demonstrated to play an independent role in the risk of limb loss. Despite this relevance, MVD is not regularly assessed clinically because tools used to evaluate and quantify the severity of MVD of the foot remain limited. We sought to evaluate if the Semmes-Weinstein 10-g Monofilament (SWM) can be used to stratify clinical MVD severity. <b>Methods</b>: We evaluated a racially diverse cohort of 124 patients (with 248 limbs). SWM testing was performed on the plantar aspect of the feet at 1st, 3rd<sup>,</sup> and 5th metatarsophalangeal joints. Clinical MVD was stratified in an ascending order of severity into: no diabetes; type 2 diabetes (DM); diabetes+ neuropathy (DM+N); diabetes + neuropathy + retinopathy (DM+N+R). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between a patient’s clinical MVD severity and an abnormal SWM test. <b>Results</b>: Sixty-four patients (51.6%) tested had an abnormal sensation. The odds of an abnormal SWM test were significantly higher for patients with DM+N and DM+N+R compared to those with no DM respectively. (DM vs. No DM: OR: 3.58, [0.98–13.09], <i>p</i> = 0.05; DM+N vs. No DM: OR: 30.46, [10.33–105.17], <i>p</i> < 0.001; DM+N+R vs. No DM: OR: 43.00, [9.89–309.17], <i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, we categorized SWM based on the degree of sensation loss and found that the proportion of people with a higher degree of sensation loss increased across the clinical MVD severity spectrum. <b>Conclusions</b>: Abnormal SWM sensation strongly correlates with the severity of clinical MVD. This suggests that a simple, non-invasive, 1-min SWM test that can be done in the clinic is a promising tool in assessing MVD in the feet, which is particularly significant considering MVD involvement in limb loss.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4540/6/4/24diabetesmicrovascular diseaseneuropathySemmes-Weinstein monofilament
spellingShingle Ikeoluwapo Kendra Bolakale-Rufai
Scott R. French
Shannon M. Knapp
Mallory Thompson
Juan C. Arias
Pamela Garcia-Filion
Bujji Ainapurapu
Tze-Woei Tan
Craig C. Weinkauf
Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetology
diabetes
microvascular disease
neuropathy
Semmes-Weinstein monofilament
title Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
title_full Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
title_fullStr Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
title_full_unstemmed Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
title_short Stratification of Clinical Microvascular Disease Severity Using Non-Invasive Monofilament Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
title_sort stratification of clinical microvascular disease severity using non invasive monofilament testing in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
topic diabetes
microvascular disease
neuropathy
Semmes-Weinstein monofilament
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4540/6/4/24
work_keys_str_mv AT ikeoluwapokendrabolakalerufai stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT scottrfrench stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT shannonmknapp stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT mallorythompson stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT juancarias stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT pamelagarciafilion stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT bujjiainapurapu stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT tzewoeitan stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus
AT craigcweinkauf stratificationofclinicalmicrovasculardiseaseseverityusingnoninvasivemonofilamenttestinginpatientswithtype2diabetesmellitus