The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is becoming epidemic proportions, ranging from 20% to 30% worldwide, depending on gender, age, country, and race. Recent reports predict a huge increase in the prevalence and associated complications of MetS. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most prevalent type, significantly impacting both quality of life and survival, as it is associated with a higher mortality risk. While the exact causes and development of DPN in diabetes mellitus (DM) or MetS remain unclear, it is widely accepted that the condition arises from a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors, along with hyperglycemia, making diabetic polyneuropathy a polyetiologic condition. For the literature review, articles published from 2017 to 2024 from PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Embase, and Web of Science scientific databases were analyzed. The main focus was on clinical studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews regarding genetic and neurological biomarkers associated with the development of DPN. The review article reviews the current evidence on specific neurologic and genetic biomarkers contributing to distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) development in individuals with MetS. We present some genetic markers of diabetic polyneuropathy such as polymorphisms of certain genes, chromosomal alterations, microRNA expression, DNA copy number changes, as well as potential neurological biomarkers: neurofilament light chain, tumor necrosis factor-α, phenylacetylglutamine, and more than 20 specific proteins of DSPN. These data could help address the challenges of early diagnosis, screening, and prognosis assessment of DSPN in patients with MetS and DM.
Azizkhojayeva et al. (Thu,) studied this question.