Diabetic Neuropathy Is Controllable

Good control of diabetes over time is the key to treating diabetic neuropathy. There is no cure for neuropathy, but keeping your blood sugar within a target range can reduce symptoms and prevent them from getting worse.

- Arun Oommen

Diabetic neuropathy is a common serious complication of uncontrolled diabetes. High blood sugar can injure nerve fibers throughout your body, but diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in your legs and feet.

Symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy may include:

• Tingling,

• Numbness (severe or long-term numbness can become permanent),

• Burning (especially in the evening), and

• Pain.

Nerve damage in the feet can result in a loss of foot sensation, increasing your risk of foot problems. Injuries and sores on the feet may go unrecognized due to lack of sensation.

For some people, these symptoms are mild; for others, diabetic neuropathy can be painful, disabling and even fatal.

These conditions are thought to result from diabetic microvascular injury involving small blood vessels that supply nerves (vasa nervorum) in addition to macrovascular conditions that can culminate in diabetic neuropathy. Neuronal ischemia is a well-established characteristic of diabetic neuropathy. Elevated intracellular levels of glucose can also cause direct injury to the nerves.