What Can Peripheral Neuropathy Cause in Patients With Diabetes?

Approximately 60 to 70 percent of all people with diabetes suffer some form of neuropathy or nerve damage due to high blood sugar levels, reports the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy affects the nerves that lead to your arms and feet, causing a number of symptoms and possible complications.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of peripheral diabetic neuropathy include numbness or diminished feeling in your feet, pain, loss of balance, lack of coordination, muscle weakness and difficulty walking.

Time Frame

• The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy often worsen at night, according to the Mayo Clinic, and usually develop gradually over months or years.

Sensation

• The pain caused by diabetic neuropathy often begins as a burning in your toes or the ball of your foot, and then moves upwards. Some patients describe diabetic neuropathy as feeling like an electric shock, explains the Mayo Clinic.

Risks

• Patients with peripheral diabetic neuropathy often develop foot sores or infections that heal slowly due to reduced nerve functioning and circulation. In severe cases, this can result in the need to amputate the affected foot or even the entire leg, warns the Mayo Clinic.

Prevention

• There is no way to reverse the nerve damage caused by diabetic neuropathy. However, controlling your blood sugar level through a proper diet, regular exercise and the use of oral medications or insulin may slow the progression of nerve damage and prevent complications that could lead to amputation.