Diabetes and Nerve Damage – Understanding Diabetic Neuropathy

What is diabetic neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that is caused by diabetes. Nerves are bundles of special tissues that carry signals between your brain and other parts of your body. The signals send information about how things feel, move your body parts, and control body functions such as digestion. Some people with diabetes also experience a painful disease called diabetic nephropathy (NEP-ruh-path). This condition damages their kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure or chronic kidney disease if not treated. Sometimes nerve damage occurs at the same time as kidney damage or another type of diabetes complication (such as eye complications), but often it is due to high blood glucose levels over a long period of time without treatment with insulin or medications to help lower blood glucose.

Common Symptoms
People with diabetic neuropathy may experience pain, tingling, or numbness in their feet. In most cases, there is a gradual worsening of symptoms as diabetes progresses. If you have lost sensation in your feet, be especially careful when you’re walking. This can lead to a serious foot injury without feeling any pain (such as stepping on a nail). It’s important to see your doctor if you have any foot discomfort or injuries that won’t heal. Without treatment, symptoms can worsen quickly. Your doctor will test for numbness and other signs of nerve damage. They might also check your blood sugar levels and look at your feet. The results of these tests can help determine how severe your condition is.

Causes of diabetic neuropathy
The main cause of diabetic neuropathy is damage to nerves due to high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can also cause other complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. Diabetes causes nerves in your extremities (arms, legs, hands) to malfunction. Sometimes it damages nerves throughout your body including those that send messages about pain sensations and body position sense (proprioception). Prolonged high blood sugar can cause hardening of tissues within your limbs which makes them more likely to break.

Diabetic Neuropathy Complications
Most people with diabetic neuropathy have pain in their feet. Common foot problems in people with diabetes include calluses, bunions, corns, ingrown toenails (spurs), infections, skin rashes, sores that won’t heal (ulcers), and ulcers. Foot infections can lead to serious complications such as amputation of toes or parts of a foot. You should try to avoid foot injuries and infections if you have diabetic neuropathy. Taking good care of your feet is important for preventing these problems. Talk with your health care provider about how often you should check your feet for problems like cuts or bruises.

Treatment Options
The best way to prevent diabetic neuropathy is to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. High blood sugar levels can cause damage to nerves over time, so keeping your levels well controlled can lower your risk of diabetes-related nerve damage. If you do have high blood sugar levels, there are some strategies that may help. These include: Making diet changes: Following a healthy eating plan (for example, one low in refined carbohydrates) can help keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. Exercising regularly: Regular physical activity increases insulin sensitivity in your body; that means when you exercise regularly, it’s easier for your body to use insulin—which helps control high blood sugar levels.

Prevention Tips
People with diabetes should keep their blood glucose levels within a healthy range. Maintaining good blood glucose control may help prevent or delay nerve damage. In some cases, controlling blood glucose can restore nerve function that has already been damaged by diabetes. Good nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation are also very important for people with diabetes who have symptoms of nerve damage. There are certain medications that may help relieve pain caused by diabetic neuropathy.