According to a study that will appear in the August 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology (one of the JAMA/Archives journals), abnormal glucose metabolism is twice as common in patients with chronic nerve dysfunction of unknown cause as compared to the general population.

Abnormal glucose metabolism occurs when the body experiences difficulty processing sugar (glucose) into energy which considering the study finding, may be a risk factor for chronic nerve dysfunction.

The results of the current study suggest that abnormal glucose metabolism may be a risk factor for neuropathy.

The nerve disorder experienced by many older adults known as neuropathy is characterized in some cases by symptoms of "burning feet" and other unpleasant sensations in the lower leg.

Neuropathy can be cause by diabetes, genetic disorders, exposure to toxic substances and a condition called amyloidosis in which extra protein-based substances accumulate in the body tissues.

In many cases of neuropathy, the underlying cause is unidentifiable: when this happens, albeit laboratory test, the condition is then known as chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy.

Read more at Science Daily.