Diabetes can cause several health complications. One of those complications is diabetic neuropathy - a condition in which your nerves are damaged. This damage can lead to different organs not functioning as they should. If you’re living with diabetes, it’s essential to know how this can affect you and how to prevent it.
What’s Diabetic Neuropathy?
In diabetic neuropathy, prolonged high blood sugar levels lead to nerve damage. Since nerves carry messages to different organs around the body, any damage to them can affect how well your body functions. For example, damage in the nerves that lead to the heart can cause changes in your heartbeat.
You can also experience changes in the sensations you feel. That’s why many people living with diabetes have numbness or tingling in their extremities. Diabetic neuropathy can also be quite painful.
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The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy usually progress gradually and can depend on which of the four types you have. Peripheral neuropathy affects the extremities so its symptoms include numbness, tingling, pain, and muscle cramps.
Autonomic neuropathy damages the nerves in the autonomic nervous system so you can expect to have difficulty swallowing, drops in blood pressure, bladder problems, and trouble with sexual response.
Proximal neuropathy can affect anywhere between the shoulders and the legs. When it does, you can have trouble rising from a sitting position, chest pain, and shrinking thigh muscles.
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Finally, you can have mononeuropathy, which only affects a specific nerve in the face, arm, torso, or legs. The symptoms of this type of neuropathy may be double vision, tingling in the fingers, weakness in the hand, and pain in the front of the thigh.
RELATED: Health Disparities and Diabetes in the Black Community
How To Prevent It
The best way to prevent diabetic neuropathy is to keep your blood sugar levels under control. To do this, you need to stick to the regimen your doctor recommends and monitor your blood glucose closely.
You also need to let your doctor know if there are any signs that your diabetes isn’t being managed well. Since the signs of neuropathy can develop slowly, you shouldn’t neglect your regular health checks either. As an example, while you should examine your feet daily, don’t shy away from having your feet professionally inspected annually.
How It’s Treated
The effects of diabetic neuropathy can’t be reversed so your doctor will likely focus on slowing the progression of the nerve damage, reducing your pain, and managing complications. These can be accomplished through a combination of medications.
Apart from your regular regimen, you might be prescribed drugs for pain, blood pressure control, and digestive issues. If you’re experiencing sexual dysfunction, your doctor may recommend drugs as well as therapy. With different medications involved, it may take some time to determine what works for you.
Why Black People Should Pay Attention
Studies about Black Americans and diabetes have yielded some important information. Doctors reported that Black Americans experienced more severe pain from nerve damage than anyone else. As a Black person, you also have a higher chance of needing to have a limb amputated or being hospitalized for long-term care.
Additionally, not only are Black people more likely to develop diabetes, but they are also at higher risk for diabetic complications. While these complications can happen because of your genetics, the statistics also show that Black people are less likely to have their diabetes under control than other ethnicities. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to conditions such as vision loss, nerve damage, and even death.
Diabetic neuropathy is a serious condition that can cause damage throughout your body. Fortunately, you can prevent it by managing your diabetes well. Even if you’re sticking to your medical routine, keep checking for signs of the condition and talk to your doctor about any changes in your health.
