Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of aging and type 2 diabetes on the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve in elderly subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample included 101 elderly participants (34 non-T2D and 67 with T2D ; mean age 65.3 years. A young cohort included 130 additional adult participants (75 non-T2D, and 55 T2D); mean age 45 years. RESULTS: The median nerve CSA in the elderly T2Dc group was larger compared to the young group. Both the young and elderly T2D groups showed larger median nerve cross-sectional area (MNCSA) compared to the elderlyT2D group. The elderly T2D group demonstrated a larger MNCSA compared to the elderly non-T2D group. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that elderly individuals showed larger MNCSA, whether or not they have diabetes, compared to young group. These findings suggest that aging is a dominant factor in the increase in MNCSA and that T2D may exacerbate it We propose that changes in MNCSA associated with diabetes could be part of the normal aging process, rather than representing an independent pathology.