Faculty Peer Reviewed G.L. is a 62 year-old African-American
male with a six year history of Type 2 Diabetes with variable
glucose control and a progressive one year history of burning
pain in a unilateral T10 distribution. The pain began at his
right abdomen, then spread first to his umbilicus and finally
ventrodorsally to his spine. His most recent HgbA1c is 8.0. One
does not have to be a medical student in New York City for very
long to find a patient with tingling and numbness that started
in the toes, spread up both legs, and is sometimes accompanied
by sharp or burning pain. Distal symmetric polyneuropathy is
common in diabetes, and diabetes is common in NYC. The patient
described above may be an example of the less common diabetic
thoracic radiculopathy. What he has in common with his stocking-
and-gloved counterparts is poor glucose control. Several long-
term clinical trials focusing on the effects of glycemic control
have illustrated the correlation between hyperglycemia and what
are now commonly know