Understanding the Link Between Diabetes and Neuropathy
Exploring the Risk Factors of Neuropathy and How They Can Be Reduced
by Jennifer Peterson, DNP, APRN, LMT, FNP-BC
Neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can be caused by diabetes. Nerves are bundles of special tissue that carry signals between your body parts and your brain. The signals tell your brain how things feel, tells your body parts to move, and tells your organs how to function. High blood sugar injures nerves throughout your body and interferes with their ability to send signals. High blood sugar can also weaken the walls of small blood vessels, interrupting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Approximately 50% of patients with diabetes will develop some form of neuropathy that worsens with age and duration of diabetes. However, with proper blood glucose management, nerve damage can be prevented or delayed.
Types and symptoms of neuropathy
There are four main types of neuropathy and patients with diabetes may develop more than one. Symptoms depend on type and which nerves are affected. Symptoms usually develop gradually and may not be noticed until extensive damage has been done. Peripheral neuropathy affects feet, legs, hands, and arms, typically starting on both sides. Tingling, burning, sharp pain, and numbness are some of the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Focal neuropathy is damage to a single nerve, most often in a hand, head, torso, or leg causing malfunction, pain, burning, and numbness among other symptoms. Autonomic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that control your organs leading to problems with blood pressure, digestion, urination, bowel movements, eyesight, and hypoglycemia unawareness among others. Proximal neuropathy involves hips, buttocks, or thighs typically starting on one side of your body, often causing debility.
Factors increasing the risk of neuropathy in diabetics
Anyone with diabetes can develop neuropathy; however, several risk factors make it more likely to develop neuropathy:
Poor blood sugar control: Puts you at risk for every diabetic complication
Kidney disease: Kidney damage sends toxins into the blood which can damage nerves
Overweight: BMI >25; metabolic alterations can lead to neuropathy
High blood pressure and/or high cholesterol: Vascular problems can decrease the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the nerves and surrounding tissues, delaying healing and causing damage.
Smoking: It narrows and hardens your arteries, reducing blood flow to body parts. This makes it more difficult for wounds to heal and damages peripheral nerves.
Too many alcoholic drinks: Leads to malnutrition and nerve damage by impeding the body’s processing of essential nutrients.
What can be done to reduce the risk of neuropathy
Keep your blood glucose within target range! Be physically active, follow your diabetes meal plan, quit smoking, limit alcohol intake, control your blood pressure and cholesterol, keep your weight at a healthy number, and take your diabetes medications as prescribed. Proper management of diabetes can prevent or delay nerve damage.
How GlyCare can help
Whether you see one of our practitioners in the hospital or virtually as an outpatient, GlyCare helps to manage blood sugar levels to each patient’s ideal target range, preventing episodes of extreme hypo or hyperglycemia. Keeping blood sugar within range can delay or prevent diabetic neuropathy.
What is GlyCare?
GlyCare is a team of endocrinologist trained nurse practitioners and physician assistants specializing in diabetes. They work in conjunction with physicians, nurses, staff, and patients to ensure proper blood sugar management. The team can expedite glucose control and subsequently ensure it stays within goal range. GlyCare ensures each patient has a safe diabetes management plan to follow, whether in the hospital, care facilities, or at home.
About the author
Dr. Jennifer Peterson, Nurse Practitioner, is the Director of Quality Assurance and Integration for GlyCare. She has years of experience managing diabetes for patients in the hospital and now trains other nurse practitioners to do the same. Dr. Peterson also ensures GlyCare provides high quality services for all patients through a quality review program she created.
References
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Neuropathy.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, March 3). Diabetic neuropathy. Mayo Clinic.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. National Institutes of Health. (2018, February). What is diabetic neuropathy?
Learn more about partnering with GlyCare for a turn-key diabetes management service. For more information on how to incorporate either in-person or virtual diabetes management, contact us today.