Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
What is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that may develop in chronic diabetes. High blood sugar can injure nerves in our body especially hands and feet. Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can vary from pain and numbness in your hands and feet to disturbance in the digestive system and urinary tract.
Diabetic neuropathy is a common and serious complication of diabetes. It can be managed by tight blood sugar control and a healthy lifestyle.
Reason for Diabetic Neuropathy?
Uncontrolled blood sugar damages nerves and affects their ability to send signals, leading to diabetic neuropathy. High blood sugar also affects the walls of the small blood vessels which disrupts the supply of oxygen and nutrients to nerves.
Risk factors
1: Diabetes history: Your risk of diabetic neuropathy increases the longer you have diabetes, especially if your blood sugar isn’t well-controlled.
2: Kidney disease: Diabetes can damage the kidneys. Kidney damage sends toxins into the blood, which can lead to nerve damage.
3: Poor blood sugar control: Uncontrolled blood sugar puts you at risk of every diabetes complication, including nerve damage.
4: Overweight: Body Mass Index greater than 24 may increase your risk of diabetic neuropathy.
5: Smoking: Smoking narrows and hardens your arteries, reducing blood flow to your legs and feet. This makes it more difficult for wounds to heal and damages the peripheral nerves
Complications of Diabetic Neuropathy:
1: Start hindering your daily life activities like while walking or sleeping. You may feel pain, tingling or bur1ning sensation commonly during the night which may lead to lose of sleep.
2: Numbness or lack of sensation can lead to cuts and wounds, slow healing wounds can become ulcers. If diabetic ulcers are not treated well, they may worsen that may lead to amputation of a limp.
Prevention
You can control or delay diabetic neuropathy and its complications by keeping tight control of your blood sugar and taking good care of your feet.
Blood sugar control: Use home blood sugar monitor to check your blood sugar and make sure it consistently stays within the target range. Shifts in blood sugar levels can stimulate nerve damage.
Foot care: Taking good care of your feet at home and regular foot examines from the doctor.
