Electrophysiologic and Clinical Effects of Thioctic Acid on Diabetic Polyneuropathy

J Korean Assoc EMG Electrodiagn Med 2001;3(2):97-102.
Published online May 10, 2001.

Abstract

Anti-oxidant treatment has been shown to prevent nerve dysfunction in experimental diabetes mellitus, thus providing a rationale of potential therapeutic value for diabetic patients. The effects of the anti-oxidant α-lipoic acid (thioctic acid) were studied in a 3-months trial in 3 type II diabetic subjects with symptomatic peripheral neuropathy. Before and on the 3 months day of treatment, the clinical neurologic state, the nerve conduction study (distal onset latencies in motor nerves, distal peak latencies in sensory nerves, and conduction velocities), and the diabetic control were evaluated. The results shows that oral treatment with 600 mg of thioctic acid for 3 months can improve symptoms, and decreased deficits resulting from polyneuropathy in type II diabetic patients without significant adverse reactions, and shows improvement in distal latencies and conduction velocities in selected peripheral motor and sensory nerves.

Key Words: Diabetic polyneuropathy, Thioctic acid, Nerve conduction study