Which diabetic complication is due to nerve damage

Sometimes — when we move or feel something — we are aware of it. But much happens automatically, including the control of our heart rate, the movement of food through the stomach and intestines and regulation of our blood pressure.

Your health care provider can determine that your symptoms are related to diabetes and not to some other condition. The best way to improve all forms of diabetic neuropathy is to control your blood sugar levels.

Before any treatment can be decided upon, you need to report any of these symptoms to your health provider. Your provider needs to make sure that the symptoms are due to diabetic neuropathy and not something else. Near normal blood sugar control will usually improve all forms of diabetic neuropathy. It can also lead to muscle twitching and cramps. This may include medication for nausea and vomiting, painkillers for sensory neuropathy or treatment to help with erectile dysfunction.

Keeping your blood sugar levels within your target range can also help to improve the symptoms of neuropathy and reduce the progression of the nerve damage. You can avoid peripheral neuropathy by keeping your blood sugar levels within your target range, which will help protect the blood vessels that supply your nerves. You should also check your feet every day and have your feet checked by a healthcare professional once a year. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with no.

Skip to main navigation Skip to content. Breadcrumb Home guide to diabetes complications nerves neuropathy. Save for later Page saved! You can go back to this later in your Diabetes and Me Close. Peripheral neuropathy nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy is when diabetes causes damage to your nerves, particularly in your hands and feet. It can affect different types of nerves in your body, including in your feet , organs and muscles.

It affects the feet and legs first, followed by the hands and arms. Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are often worse at night, and may include:. The autonomic nervous system controls your heart, bladder, stomach, intestines, sex organs and eyes. Diabetes can affect nerves in any of these areas, possibly causing:. This type of neuropathy — also called diabetic amyotrophy — often affects nerves in the thighs, hips, buttocks or legs. It can also affect the abdominal and chest area.

Symptoms are usually on one side of the body, but may spread to the other side. You may have:. There are two types of mononeuropathy — cranial and peripheral. Mononeuropathy refers to damage to a specific nerve. Mononeuropathy may also lead to:. The American Diabetes Association recommends that screening for diabetic neuropathy begin immediately after someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and five years after diagnosis for someone with type 1 diabetes.

After that, screening is recommended annually. The exact cause of each type of neuropathy is unknown. Researchers think that over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar damages nerves and interferes with their ability to send signals, leading to diabetic neuropathy.

High blood sugar also weakens the walls of the small blood vessels capillaries that supply the nerves with oxygen and nutrients. Anyone who has diabetes can develop neuropathy. But these risk factors make you more likely to get nerve damage:.

You can prevent or delay diabetic neuropathy and its complications by closely managing your blood sugar and taking good care of your feet. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes have an A1C test at least twice a year. This test estimates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. If your blood sugar levels are higher than your goal, you may need changes in your daily management, such as adding or adjusting your medications or changing your diet.

Foot problems, including sores that don't heal, ulcers and even amputation, are common complications of diabetic neuropathy.