It can progress rapidly over the course of days or weeks. 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. 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. Diabetes can damage nerves and cause a complication called neuropathy. It usually starts with a loss of feeling in the toes and possibly in the fingers of the hands.
Over time, neuropathy can move up the person's legs or arms. A person may be able to prevent or delay diabetic neuropathy by keeping their blood glucose levels close to the target range. These other nerve problems will not have the same symptoms and will progress differently than nerve damage caused by diabetes. To diagnose diabetic neuropathy, the doctor may perform several tests, such as nerve conduction studies and electromyography.
Diabetic neuropathy is suspected when the patient's medical history and physical examination are compatible with the clinical picture in a diabetes setting. The main danger of sensory neuropathy for a person with diabetes is a loss of feeling in their feet, especially if they don't realize that this has happened. Diabetic neuropathy usually develops slowly over time and can cause symptoms, such as pain, numbness, and tingling. It primarily affects the nerves in the feet and legs, but people can also develop this type of neuropathy in the arms and hands.
People with diabetes have too much sugar in their blood because their body can't move glucose to fat, liver and muscle cells to transform and store it for energy. Talk to your health care team that specializes in diabetes for advice if you think you are developing any signs of neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy describes a type of nerve damage in people with diabetes that affects several nerves in the body. If you don't control your blood sugar level, you could develop eye problems, have sores and infections on your feet, have problems with high blood pressure and cholesterol, and have problems with your kidneys, heart and other essential organs.
You can help prevent diabetic neuropathy by keeping blood sugar levels within ideal limits, which will help protect the blood vessels that supply nerves. This can cause different types of diabetic neuropathy, such as peripheral, autonomic, focal and proximal neuropathies. People can take several steps at home to ease the pain and discomfort caused by diabetic neuropathy, a possible complication of diabetes. Diabetes is increasing worldwide and is a serious, lifelong condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke and long-lasting nerve, eye and foot problems.
