|  | Conditions Treatments | Diabetes

Paralysis Due to Diabetes

Diabetes, a chronic disease involving irregularities in the body's ability to use sugar, affects millions of Americans. The disease is insidious, causing kidney failure, blindness, heart attacks and strokes. If you have diabetes, are at risk of diabetes, or have a family history of diabetes, one additional symptom of a diabetes-related disease may involve paralysis.

  1. Vocal Cord Paralysis

    • Vocal cord paralysis can be brought on by a stroke, which can be brought on by diabetes. The Mayo Clinic explains that with this disorder, the nerve impulses to the larynx are interrupted, resulting in muscle paralysis. If the vocal cord is paralyzed in a closed position, airflow into the lungs is affected. If it is paralyzed in the open position, your voice may be breathy, hoarse or weak.

    Bell's Palsy/Neuropathy

    • Neuropathy occurs when high blood glucose levels are present over a long period of time. Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage from diabetes. Bell's palsy (paralysis on one side of the face) is caused by focal neuropathy, a type of diabetic neuropathy in which a group of affected nerves causes sudden weakness or pain. Symptoms include double vision.

    Diabetes Mellitus

    • Diabetes mellitus (gastroparesis) is a medical condition in which the muscle of the stomach is paralyzed. Food and secretions cannot empty normally from the stomach, resulting in nausea and vomiting. This condition may also be associated with paralysis of the small intestine and colon. Neurological long-term complications from diabetes can lead to these paralyzing gastrointestinal disorders.

    Stroke

    • The American Diabetes Association reports that two out of three people diagnosed with diabetes will die from stroke or heart disease. Paralysis is one of the most common disabilities resulting from stroke. The paralysis or weakness may affect only the face, arm or leg, or may affect one entire side of the body and face.

    Transient Ischemic Attack

    • Caused by a temporary interruption of blood supply to the brain, a transient ischemic attack (TIA) produces symptoms similar to a stroke---however, it usually only lasts a few minutes, resulting in no permanent damage. Symptoms include sudden weakness and numbness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body. The Mayo Clinic reports one risk for this disorder is diabetes, which narrows the arteries to the brain through the accumulation of fatty deposits.

Diabetes - Related Articles