Introduction. Diabetes mellitus ( is a chronic metabolic disorder that leads to a variety of complications. The most common is diabetic polyneuropathy, particularly distal symmetric polyneuropathy ( affecting more than 50 of patients. I t is a significant risk factor for occurrence of foot ulcers and is the leading cause of lower limb amputations. Besides, it is linked with a decreased quality of life, both physical and mental. Aim of the study. To assess the clinical features associated with the presence and severity of peripheral diabetic polyneuropathy. Materials and methods. The study included 90 randomly selected patients hospitalized in the Endocrinology department, in a municipal clinic in Chisinau, Moldova. Inclusion criteria were presence of DM type I or type II and age >18 years. The clinical history was documented and a directed clinical examination was performed. The presence and severity of DSP was assessed using Toronto Score. Results. In our study, according to Toronto Score, 16 patients had no DSP, 22 incipient DSP, 27 moderate DSP and 25 severe DSP. The ave rage duration of diabetes was 5.8 for no DSP group, 9 for incipient DSP group, 13.6 for moderate DSP group and 17.5 for severe DSP group (P< In the no and incipient DSP groups combined, there were more type I patients ( than in the moderate and severe DSP group ( The prevalence of obesity was high, 43 patients of 90 had body mass index ( 30. Besides, the average BMI was found to be higher in those with moderate and severe DSP than in those with no or incipient DSP, 31.9 versus 27.8 (P<0 A history of arterial hypertension was present in 80% of all cases, but only in 63% for the no and incipient DSP group versus 93% for the moderate and severe DSP group. A higher prevalence of hypertension and obesity in those with a more severe DSP can be partially explained by the predominance of type II DM. Hyperlipidemia was detected in 47% of all patients but there was no significant difference between the samples. Retinopathy was found in 50% of patients with no or incipient DSP and in 67% of t hose with moderate and severe DSP but the P value was too high. The symptoms reported by patients were weakness ( cramps ( pain ( tinglin g(52%) and numbness ( Conclusions. The study reveals that DSP is very common (82 in patients w ith DM and its severity is associated with diabetes duration and higher BMI. The comorbidities of DSP such as hypertension, retinopathy and hyperlipidemia were also frequent. The screening for diabetic polyneuropathy helps define the clinical profile of th e patient and should be started at the moment of diagnosis of DM, thus avoiding often disabling complications.