547-P: Associations between Bladder Symptoms and Diabetic Neuropathy in a Romanian Cohort of Patients with Diabetes

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are commonly reported by men and women with diabetes and may share a common pathogenic mechanism with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). We aimed to evaluate associations between DPN and self-reported LUTS in a cohort of Romanian patients with diabetes phenotyped for DPN with the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Clinical DPN was defined as MNSI exam score of >2; symptomatic DPN as MNSI questionnaire score of ≥4. LUTS was assessed with the validated American Urological Association Symptom Index and defined as 0-7 none/mild and ≥8 moderate/severe. Preliminary data is shown for 174 participants [51% men, mean age 67 years, 95% type 2 diabetes, mean diabetes duration 16 years, mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c 8%)]. Sixty% and 64% met the criteria for clinical and symptomatic neuropathy, respectively and 53% of men and 47% of women reported moderate/severe LUTS. MNSI questionnaire scores were significantly associated with LUTS in both men (p<0.001) and women (p<0.001) after adjusting for age and HbA1c. These data demonstrate that patients with symptomatic neuropathy are more likely to present with bladder dysfunction.