There is no cure for diabetes-related neuropathy, but effective Diabetic and Neuropathy Treatment in Whitfield FL can help control it through medications, therapy, and tighter blood sugar control. Diabetes-related neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that specifically affects individuals with diabetes, with the most common form being peripheral neuropathy that often impacts the feet.
Diabetic neuropathy can progress at different times depending on the type of damage the person has. It can progress rapidly over days or weeks, or more slowly over many years. When you control your blood sugar properly, the progression of type 1 diabetes can often slow down significantly or even stop. The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy depend on the type of neuropathy and the number of nerves affected.
As the condition progresses over the months, the pain may spread and affect the upper and lower parts of both legs. After several months, symptoms tend to disappear, but patients may be left with permanent disability, which may include a fall of the foot and the recurrence of symptoms. The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your doctor for a diagnosis.
Diabetic neuropathy affects many organ systems and is best treated by an interprofessional team. Since there is no cure for this disorder, prevention is the key. Everyone with diabetes should have a dietary consultation and receive information about what foods to eat and what to avoid. The diet should be realistic and focus on lowering blood glucose levels. Patients should also enter a rehabilitation program or do some exercise.
Losing weight makes it easier to control blood sugar and lowers blood pressure and lipids. A podiatry consultation is vital, as foot protection is necessary. In addition, all people with diabetes should be informed about how to avoid trauma and undergo any invasive foot procedure without the prior authorization of the endocrinologist. In addition, the patient should be told to avoid hot or cold temperatures.
Peripheral neuropathy is one of the many long-standing complications of diabetes. Neuropathy usually occurs around 8 to 10 years after the onset of diabetes. However, it is not uncommon to see patients with neuropathic symptoms who are diagnosed with diabetes at that time or patients with 20 or more years of diabetes with little or no evidence of neuropathy. Autonomic neuropathy is also prevalent in diabetes and can affect gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and genitourinary organs.
Your healthcare provider and other diabetes specialists, such as a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES), will work with you to achieve realistic blood sugar goals. The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy consist of slow, insidious numbness and tingling in the lower extremities that may progress. until it develops into painful neuropathy. However, it is more common for a person to have diabetes for several years before developing diabetic neuropathy.
A study conducted on people with type 2 diabetes shows that having an A1C level greater than 7% for at least three years increases the risk of diabetes-related neuropathy. Neuropathy in diabetes has the potential to reduce life expectancy, but this can depend on many factors. Diabetic neuropathy usually develops slowly over time and can cause symptoms, such as pain, numbness and tingling. A person may be able to prevent or delay diabetic neuropathy by keeping their blood glucose levels close to the target range.
However, the actual treatment of diabetic neuropathy isn't perfect, and most treatments often don't work. This type of diabetic neuropathy affects one nerve at a time and the symptoms depend on the nerve affected. Proximal neuropathy goes by many names and is a relatively rare type of diabetic neuropathy that occurs in approximately 1% of patients with type 2 diabetes. This can cause different types of diabetic neuropathy, such as peripheral, autonomic, focal, and proximal neuropathies.
Because peripheral neuropathy is so common in patients with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that doctors evaluate patients with type 2 diabetes when they are diagnosed; in patients with type 1 diabetes, doctors should evaluate for peripheral neuropathy 5 years after diagnosis and then once a year. Diabetic neuropathy is suspected when the patient's history and physical examination are compatible with the clinical picture of a diabetic environment. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy primarily affects the autonomic nerves that serve the internal organs, processes and systems of the heart, digestive system, sexual organs, urinary tract and sweat glands. Poorly treated diabetics have higher rates of morbidity and complications associated with DPN than well-controlled diabetics.
