Neuropathy

Chronically high blood-glucose levels can cause nerve damage, or neuropathy. This often results in pain in the extremities--the legs and feet, for example. Over time, the pain can subside and be replaced by numbness, as nerve damage becomes nerve-cell death.

Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: How to avoid diabetes burnout Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See more online resources for diabetes information Type 2 Diabetes-Related Clinical Trials Information More on Diabetes Email this page Print this section

When the damaged nerves influence how well your stomach and intestines clear food through your system, a condition called gastroparesis develops; symptoms can include abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, and bloating. Nerve damage in other areas of the body might mean incomplete emptying of the bladder, incontinence, or sexual dysfunction. Damage to nerves that regulate blood flow and blood pressure can cause significant drops in blood pressure--and lightheadedness or fainting--when you sit or stand.

If you begin to show signs of neuropathy, the most important thing you can do is try and prevent further damage by making sure your blood glucose is under control. Sometimes, improving blood glucose control can lessen symptoms of neuropathy over time, even as it's helping to prevent further damage. Nerves do not grow back, however. Once pain is replaced with numbness--a sign the nerves are dead--the numbness will not go away.

This section contains information on managing the pain of neuropathy