The Treatments for Diabetic Amyotrophy

Diabetic amyotrophy--also referred to as femoral or proximal neuropathy--is frequently characterized by severe pain that begins on one side of your body usually in the hip, thigh or buttocks, according to the Mayo Clinic. The National Institutes of Health reports diabetic amyotrophy doesn't usually occur until middle age or later and is frequently seen in people with type 2 diabetes. There is no cure for this condition but treatments are available to control pain, improve function and delay the progression of the disease.

Effects

• Nerve damage eventually occurs in some people with diabetes, the Mayo Clinic reports. High blood sugar can damage nerve fibers throughout your body, but nerves in your legs and feet are most severely impacted.The National Diabetes Clearing House says the effects of diabetic amyotrophy neuropathy can make it challenging to go move from a sitting to standing position without assistance.

Symptoms

• Symptoms associated with diabetic amyotrophy can range from mild to severe that can sometimes affect the trunk of your body. Some people experience only mild pain while others can suffer disabling or life-threatening problems that may be due to heart, digestive system or urinary tract issues.

  Many people with diabetic amyotrohpy experience substantial weight loss.

Risks

• High blood glucose hampers the nerves' capacity to send out signals. It also diminishes the strength of the walls of the small blood vessels (capillaries) that provide the nerves with oxygen and nutrients.

  Additional risk factors of diabetic amyotrophy include protein glycation that develops when sugars in your body act in response to proteins, changing the makeup of the proteins.

  Genetic considerations apart from diabetes make some people more likely to suffer nerve damage.

  Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption can harm nerves and blood vessels, and place them at a greater risk of infection.

Stabalizing Glucose Levels

• The first line of treatment for people with diabetic amyotrophy is to control blood glucose levels. This includes the use of insulin, getting adequate exercise and dietary considerations.

  Blood glucose can be checked regular with blood glucose monitors. Stable glucose levels may prevent or slow the development of additional problems.

  The Mayo Clinic says the target blood sugar level prior to meals is 90 to 130 mg/dL (5 to 7 mmol/L) and less than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L) two hours after eating.

Pain Management

• A variety of medications are available to help reduce diabetic related nerve pain.

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Duloxetine and pregabalin expressly for the diabetic nerve pain.

  Your doctor may prescribe tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, imipramine, and desipramine/ norpramin, pertofrane to relieve pain.

  Sometimes anticonvulsants, such as pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Gabarone, Neurontin) are also used.

  Pain medications that include opioids and opioid-like drugs, such as controlled-release oxycodone, may alleviate nerve pain.
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