Abstract

Background: Balance and gait are both impaired in people with diabetesbut no study has examined both in the same subjects in people either with or even without diabetes orrelated these to room lighting. Material/Methods: Twelve subjects with type 2 diabetes (D) and 15 age-matchedcontrols (C) were examined under conditions of full light, eyes closed (no light) and low light (5 candlepower). Balance was assessed during standing by a computerized posturography device. Gait was analyzedduring the initiation of movement, while walking at uniform speed and during turns of 0.66 meters diameterthrough accelerometers, foot contact sensors and the electomyogram recorded from the gastrocnemius andtibialus anterior muscles. Results: Subjects with diabetes had poorer balance during standing in diminishedlight compared to full light and no light conditions. When the room light was dimmed, sway during standingincreased by an average of 25% in D. Control subjects did not have different sway with diminished lightcompared to the other lighting conditions. Gait was slower, circumduction greater and muscle use greaterin D than C. There was a significant negative correlation between balance and gait; the worse the balance,the slower and poorer the gait for both groups of subjects (p

Keywords: Case-Control Studies, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology, Electromyography, Gait, Light, postural balance