OBJECTIVETo evaluate the small fiber function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus of the early stage by measuring the sensory threshold with the quantitative temperature testing technology.

METHODSTwenty cases of patients with type 2 diabetes with no neurological deficit (DM group) and twenty age and sex-matched healthy controls underwent the detecting of cold sensory threshold (CST), warm sensory threshold (WST), cold pain threshold (CPT), heat pain threshold (HPT) in both inside of their hands.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in CST, WST, CPT and HPT between left and right inside of hand of the same sample among all the testers. But the four kinds of threshold showed significant difference in the right inside of hand between patients and healthy people ( P < 0.05). In addition, the CST and WST differed significantly in the left inside of hand between the patients and healthy controls while the CPT and HPT showed no significant difference in the left inside of hand between them. Patients group and control group with CST and WST on the left side of the comparison difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONQuantitative analysis of temperature sense threshold can not only reflect increase of the pain threshold value, also can reflect its decrease, i. e. hyperalgesia, which may help to diagnose small fibrous peripheral neuropathy recognition, especially in early diabetic peripheral neuropathy.