Nonlinear dynamics of skin blood flow response to mechanical and thermal stresses in the plantar foot of diabetics with peripheral neuropathy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a major complication in diabetics. Impaired microvascular reactivity is a major contributor to the development of DFU and has been traditionally quantified by time-domain or frequency-domain measures of skin blood flow (SBF). These measures, however, are unable to characterize the changes of nonlinear dynamics of SBF associated with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate altered nonlinear dynamics of skin blood flow in the plantar foot of diabetics with peripheral neuropathy.

METHODS: 18 type 2 diabetics with peripheral neuropathy and 8 healthy controls were recruited. SBF at the first metatarsal head in response to a loading pressure of 300 mmHg and a local heating was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry. A sample entropy approach was used to quantify the degree of regularity of SBF.

RESULTS: Our results showed that the regularity degree of SBF in the diabetic foot underwent only small changes during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia and thermally induced biphasic response compared to non-diabetics. SBF of the diabetic foot has higher degree of irregularity during reactive hyperemia because of attenuated myogenic activity, and demonstrated higher regularity during the biphasic response largely due to significantly enhanced cardiac activities.

CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the regularity degree of SBF at the first metatarsal head could be used to assess impaired microvascular reactivity and thus may be used to assess the risk for DFU in diabetics with peripheralneuropathy.