The main symptom is nerve pain that starts in the upper thigh of one leg and can affect the hips and lower back. Weight loss is a symptom in approximately 35% of patients with proximal neuropathy, and around 18% experience weakness in the affected area in addition to pain. Rarely, proximal neuropathy may occur in the arm. Having diabetes or high blood sugar levels for a while increases the risk of this condition, which is the result of nerve damage in the feet.
You'll usually experience slight numbness or tingling in your toes. This may progress, and over time, you may not be able to feel pain or temperature differences. At night, symptoms usually worsen. This is one of the first signs of diabetic neuropathy and often starts in the fingers or toes.
It can feel like a pin and usually gets worse at night. If you frequently experience tingling in your feet or hands, this could indicate nerve damage. If you have diabetes, possible signs of diabetic neuropathy include tingling, pain, and other symptoms. This condition occurs when nerve damage occurs due to high blood pressure.
Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication that occurs in about half of the people who have diabetes. The longer you have diabetes, especially uncontrolled diabetes, the greater your risk of diabetic neuropathy. Why aren't people as familiar with neuropathy as they are with other health problems? The vagueness of your early signs could be the cause. The gradual nature with which symptoms develop and progress probably won't help either.
And when neuropathy begins to affect functions, such as balance and mobility, people often attribute their problems to aging. Li says that shouldn't be the case. Nerves are like small wires that carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body and help you feel sensations such as touch, temperature and pain. They also control your muscles and help you move. It's important to note that, even when the underlying reason can't be identified, doctors know that idiopathic neuropathy is associated with an increased risk of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, two problems that are known to lead to type 2 diabetes.
Nerve pain, also called neuropathic pain, can become more severe and sometimes even debilitating. In fact, many people with diabetic neuropathy consider pain to be one of the most disabling symptoms. Because the disorder progresses over time, Dr. Li stresses the importance of identifying signs of neuropathy early and of rapid evaluation by a neurologist.
He adds that electromyography is the first test a neurologist will perform, but other imaging tests, blood tests and even genetic tests may also be needed. Once the cause and severity of neuropathy are determined, attention is focused on managing the problem and, in the meantime, treating any disabling symptoms, such as nerve pain. Controlling the cause of neuropathy can help delay damage to peripheral nerves and, possibly, even to reverse symptoms. Leaving the condition untreated, on the other hand, can lead to permanent nerve damage that cannot be reversed.
In addition, studies show that untreated peripheral neuropathy significantly increases the risk of falls, which can lead to injuries and hospitalizations, as well as loss of mobility and independence. Learning more about diabetic neuropathy allows you to control this condition before it causes serious complications or interferes with your daily life. Diabetic neuropathy can cause chronic pain and complications, such as gastrointestinal problems, dizziness and weakness, and urinary or sexual problems. The costs associated with diabetic neuropathy are estimated to be between 4.6 and 13.7 billion dollars, and most of the cost is attributed to people with type 2 diabetes.
It is more common in people who have had diabetes for a long time and can gradually cause various health problems and affect quality of life. In contrast, diabetic neuropathy results from prolonged high blood sugar levels and encompasses a variety of nerve damage, including peripheral, autonomic, proximal, and focal neuropathies. 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. Your healthcare provider and other diabetes specialists, such as a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES), will work with you to achieve realistic goals of blood sugar.
You'll also need to visit your diabetes professional (such as an endocrinologist) regularly to make adjustments to your diabetes management plan. In animal studies100, 101, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been shown to improve diabetic neuropathy 100, 101, but the mechanism is not clear. Overall, these eight studies only support a modest reduction in the development of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes who receive better glucose control, which is in stark contrast to the substantial effect in patients with type 1 diabetes. If you have diabetes, it's critical that you recognize the early signs of diabetic neuropathy so you can act quickly and seek help.
The persistent tingling, numbness, and pain experienced as you go through the stages of diabetic neuropathy can cause discomfort and hinder your ability to do activities you previously enjoyed. The magnitude of the effect of glucose control on neuropathy is much smaller in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to patients with type 1 diabetes. Studies show that peripheral neuropathy affects at least 20% of people with type 1 diabetes who have had diabetes for at least 20 years.
