Neuropathy is a complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It's nerve damage that is caused by hyperglycemia. When excess glucose circulates in the blood for prolonged periods of time, it can build up in nerve cells and block the necessary signals from the cells to the brain. Neuropathy is not always just the result of poor glucose control. Diabetes and it's complications are progressive. If someone has maintained good control for many years, neuropathy can still occur, just from the sheer longevity of the disease process.

• What is Diabetic Neuropathy?

The peripheral nervous system is made up of many smaller systems, each with their own job to do. Because they are all made up of nerves, damage can occur in these systems when diabetes progresses.

• Autonomic neuropathy: The autonomic nervous system controls functions like the bladder, the GI tract, perspiration, sexual function and cardiovascular reflexes such as heart rate and blood pressure. Some common kinds of autonomic neuropathy include:
  • Decrease in perspiration - which results in dry, cracked skin which can lead to infections
  • Gastroparesis - which means that the stomach doesn't empty as quickly due to nerve damage. A person with gastroparesis may feel too full too soon after eating a meal. He or she may also suffer from constipation or sometimes diarrhea.
  • Orthostatic hypotension - this means that when a person changes position from lying to standing, their blood pressure doesn't change, or it drops too low, too fast, which results in a feeling of light-headedness or faintness.

• Peripheral neuropathy: The sensory-motor nervous system controls the sensations that a person feels in his or her body. In diabetes, the nerves in the extremities, especially the feet and legs, can become damaged over time.
  • There is a loss of sensation, with numbness, that can cause injury to the extremities because the person can't feel when something is hurting. For example, if there is something sharp in a shoe, the person may not know it, and injury to the foot can happen. This can result in infection and/or ulceration of the affected area.
  • Peripheral neuropathy can also cause burning or tingling sensations, and can be quite painful.
  • Muscle atrophy, bone changes and deformities can also occur due to nerve damage of the sensory-motor system.

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