부산대학교 도서관

We examined the relationship between lower extremity muscle strength, the amount of physical activity and diabetic neuropathy (DN) in patients with diabetes. The present study included 61 patients with type 2 diabetes who were over 60 years of age (male, n=35; female, n=26: mean age 71.7±6.1 years). The survey items were as follow: lower extremity muscle strength, amount of physical activity, the presence of DN, and the patient's background factors. From the results of a multiple regression analysis, gender, physical activity and age were extracted as factors that were related to the knee extensor force (R2=0.47). In addition, DN (R2=0.15) was extracted as the sole factor to be related to the ankle dorsal flexor force. In the type 2 diabetes patients over 60 years of age, the ankle dorsal flexor force was associated with DN, as previous studies have reported. On the other hand, the knee extensor force was associated with physical activity. From these results, it is suggested that the promotion of physical activity might not only lead to the improvement of the blood glucose level but also preserve or strengthen the muscle power of the lower extremities.