Diabetes can damage your nerves. This damage is called diabetic neuropathy and is a type of nerve damage caused by long-term high blood sugar (glucose) levels. It is a common complication in diabetes and around 50 percent of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes will develop some form of nerve damage.

Every set of nerves has a specific function, so symptoms will depend on the type of nerves affected. Symptoms of nerve damage usually develop slowly. You may not notice problems until considerable damage has occurred, therefore it is important to recognize the signs and identify them in good time, so you can reduce damage and help to slow down the onset of complications.

What are the risk factors for nerve damage?

  • High blood sugar levels for a long time
  • The length of time you have been living with diabetes
  • Being overweight
  • Older than 40 years of age
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Smoking, and drinking alcohol

The most common neuropathies are

Sensory neuropathy
Sensory neuropathy is damage to the nerves that receive and interpret feelings of sensation like hot, cold, pressure, and pain. The nerve damage causes a disturbance in these sensations resulting in tingling or burning feelings in the limbs, reduced ability to feel pain, or sharp jabbing pain that may be worse at night. There may also be a decreased sensation or numbness, muscle weakness, and serious problems like foot ulcers. Often the first areas affected are your legs, followed by hands. It can also affect other areas of your body.

Motor neuropathy
Damage to the motor nerves that control muscle movement is often combined with sensory neuropathy. The damaged nerves have difficulty sending signals to the muscles that move your body, affecting your ability to coordinate movement, particularly walking. Your hands, arms, and feet may feel weak, numb, and painful. Weakness and reduced sensation in the muscles of the feet may lead to unbalanced pressure on the ankle which may lead to foot deformity.

Autonomic neuropathy
The autonomic nervous system controls the involuntary functions of your body. Damage to the autonomic nerves can affect the heart and circulatory system, the digestive system, the bladder and urinary tract, sexual function, kidneys, and vision. Symptoms may include a faster heartbeat, changes in blood pressure causing dizziness or lightheadedness, digestive problems, difficulty regulating temperature and sweating, lack of awareness of low blood glucose, erectile dysfunction urination problems, and more.

Note that:
Keeping your blood sugar within your target range, especially from first diagnosis, a healthy diet, and regular exercise have been shown to significantly lower the risk of developing diabetic neuropathy and even improve symptoms of existing neuropathy.

Be sure to talk with your doctor right away if you notice any of these symptoms. The sooner treatment begins, the better the chance of reducing complications.

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