Diabetic neuropathy is a kind of nerve injury that occurs when you have chronic diabetes. High levels of blood glucose (sugar) may damage many nerves all over your body, including those in your feet. This results in painful diabetic foot symptoms that can sometimes be life-threatening. Most often, diabetic neuropathy causes numbness, leg weakness and even paralysis of the foot. There are different causes of diabetic neuropathy, and these include heredity, obesity, diabetes, injury to the feet and legs, hypoglycemia, central nervous system damage, and lack of blood flow to the extremities.
Digestive system defects, such as abnormalities at the entrance of the stomach or duodenum, may cause serious symptoms like ulcers, perforations, or the formation of fistulas. Habitual diabetes insufficiency can also result in severe symptoms. For example, gastroparesis, when the smooth muscle at the bottom of the stomach does not completely close, leads to excessive secretion of gastric acid. Excessive secretion may also result in diarrhea, heartburn and distension. Excessive secretion of gastric acid can also cause symptoms like ulcers, lesions in the esophagus, bleeding ulcers, or esophageal contractions that are too rapid.
Symptoms related to diabetic neuropathy may differ from patient to patient. Some common symptoms include walking with a stick in one hand, incision wounds in the feet, deformities in gait, altered mental status, urinary and bowel incontinence, decreased vision, heart palpitations or flutter, sweating or trembling, and the sensation of sharp or prickly sensations in the legs, feet, or hands. Some patients also experience chest pain, nausea or indigestion, or problems when feeding. Weight loss, changes in skin color, brittle nails, and hearing problems are also common. These symptoms usually develop slowly over a period of time and worsen with poor eating habits or lack of exercise.
Another group of causes for neuropathies are associated with diseases that affect the peripheral nervous system. Common examples of such diseases are multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathy, alcoholism, corticobasal degeneration, Menieres disease, and cerebral palsy. The complications resulting from peripheral neuropathy include autonomic dysreflexia, which are caused by a drop in blood pressure; tachycardia, which are an irregular heartbeat; and autonomic hyperdrive, which are sudden and excessive reaction to physiological stimuli. The complications resulting from alcohol abuse are liver damage, dehydration, and increased blood pressure.
Poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and wounds involving the feet, legs, or hips are other causes of diabetic neuropathy. When nutrients are not supplied to the peripheral nerves, this causes the body to waste away the stored glucose in the blood instead of using it for energy. As a result, the level of glucose remaining in the blood rises and blood pressure falls. As a result, the heart has to work harder to pump blood to all the parts of the body. When the heart muscle is damaged, it requires more effort to pump blood to get the glucose that it needs from the blood. This causes the patient to experience symptoms such as a weak pulse and increased leg pressure.
One of the complications resulting from diabetic neuropathy is hypoglycemia unawareness. Hypoglycemia means low blood sugar levels, and this can have dangerous consequences. Symptoms include fainting, dizziness, sweating, confusion, unconsciousness, and heart failure. The risk of developing hypoglycemia increases if the patient does not follow a recommended diabetes diet and does not monitor their blood sugar levels closely. Patients should visit their physician regularly and ask about any changes in their condition.
