Background: Diabetes is widely recognized as a global public-health challenge, often described as a silent killer due to its insidious onset and devastating complications. Nearly half of all individuals with diabetes develop peripheral neuropathy, which is recognized as a chronic complication of diabetes. Objective: To determine the frequency and associated factors of peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes visiting primary care clinics in Karachi. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Family Medicine Clinics at Liaquat National Hospital and its community-based outreach centers in Karachi, Pakistan, from December 2024 to June 2025. Screening for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) was performed using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) tool. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy was considered positive when patients reported clinical symptoms (a score of at least 7 out of 13) or had physical examination results confirming the presence of neuropathy (a score of greater than 2 out of 10). Results: A total of 260 subjects were evaluated in this study, with a mean age of 53.5±11.7 years; 59.6% were male. On average, diabetes duration was 7.5±3.8 years. DPN was present in 19.2% of participants based on clinical symptoms and 55% based on the physical examination of the MNSI tool. The overall frequency of diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on either clinical symptoms or physical examination was 56.5%. In a multivariable regression analysis, factors that were found to be significantly associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy were longer diabetes duration and a high BMI. Conclusion: Our research found high rates of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in primary care clinics, particularly among those with longer disease duration and patients with elevated BMI, emphasizing continuous surveillance and timely management for strengthening community-level care.
