With better blood sugar control, symptoms of diabetes-related neuropathy, such as numbness and other abnormal sensations, may disappear within a year. The more severe the neuropathy, the less likely it is to be reversible. Diabetic neuropathy has no cure. Treatment will focus on reducing pain, delaying progression and reducing complications. Often, the first step is to bring your blood glucose level into a normal range.
Quitting smoking can also help slow progression. Your healthcare provider will also work with you to reduce pain. There are other specific treatment options that can be used to treat any complication of neuropathy, such as urinary tract problems, low blood pressure, digestive problems, and sexual dysfunction. Peripheral neuropathy usually can't be cured, but many things can be done to keep it from getting worse.
If the cause is an underlying condition, such as diabetes, your healthcare provider will treat it first and then treat pain and other symptoms of neuropathy. Treatment may be more successful for certain underlying causes. For example, ensuring that diabetes is well controlled can help improve neuropathy or, at least, prevent it from worsening. While there is currently no cure for diabetic neuropathy, there are treatments and are being studied more in active clinical trials.
These options can help mitigate symptoms and improve the quality of life for people living with neuropathy. If you've been diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy, it's critical that you seek treatment right away, as the condition can have serious or even fatal consequences if left untreated. This is often due to infections. Loss of feeling in the feet can make it difficult to detect and care for minor cuts and blisters. Because diabetes can cause circulation problems, these injuries are difficult to heal, are more likely to become infected, and increase the risk of gangrene.
As a result, between 1 and 2% of all diabetic patients undergo lower limb amputation. Nerve damage cannot be reversed once it has occurred. Therefore, the most important aspect of treating neuropathy is to prevent the condition from worsening by addressing known risk factors. Proper glucose management and a focus on nutrition, exercise and weight loss are critical. An HbA1c test, which reflects blood glucose levels over a period of two to three months, is important to check if these efforts are working.
Despite existing treatments, many people with diabetic neuropathy continue to experience pain and considerable suffering. Clinical research is a critical component in identifying and developing the next generation of treatments to help these patients. Diabetic neuropathy research trials last from a few weeks to several months, and most visits occur no more often than every two to four weeks. Maintaining blood sugar and diabetes control is the most effective way to prevent diabetes complications in general.
Your diabetes and your health care team can better advise you on how to manage this diabetes complication, possible treatments or medications that may help, and how managing diabetes is a key part of preventing or treating nerve damage caused by diabetes. Treatments for diabetic foot disease, when implemented quickly, can be effective in preserving and even restoring function. Smoking, high blood pressure, and being overweight also make people with diabetes more likely to suffer nerve damage. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that affects approximately 10 million Americans. 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.
You'll also need to visit your diabetes professional (such as an endocrinologist) regularly to make adjustments to your diabetes management plan. This, in turn, can minimize some of the symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy and make life with this condition easier. Study volunteers also undergo extensive laboratory tests, including liver and kidney function, electrolyte levels, diabetic profile tests, cholesterol tests, and hematological tests to detect anemia and bleeding disorders. To begin with, a healthcare provider will ask you detailed questions about your medical history and diabetes management.
Studies show that peripheral neuropathy affects at least 20% of people with type 1 diabetes who have had diabetes for at least 20 years. There is no cure, but some of these procedures can make life with diabetic neuropathy much easier. Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes caused by nerve fiber damage caused by high blood sugar levels.
