What are the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy ?

Experiencing pain when walking barefoot on sand could be a sign of diabetic neuropathy.

Did you know that 50% to 70 % of people with diabetes will develop some form of neuropathy over their lifetime? Also, up to one in three diabetic patients will have evidence of diabetes related nerve damage during their first visit to the doctor. It is the cause of 50-75% of nontraumatic amputations of the leg. Controlling the blood glucose level can help you prevent the onset/progression of nerve damage. Here's how you can know if you have diabetic neuropathy. Dr Sujeet Jha, Endocrinologist, Max Healthcare Hospital, Saket, New Delhi sheds light on the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

Diabetic neuropathy -- What are the symptoms?

One of the most common symptoms and an effective way to detect the effect of diabetes on nerves is experiencing chronic pain in the feet or soles. This is a sign that should not be ignored and must need for urgent medical help. As the condition progresses, you might also witness tingling sensation (pins and needles) and burning pains. With time, the affected patients often have a progressive build-up of unpleasant sensory symptoms such as shooting pains (like electric shock ) down the legs or lancinating pains (linked to stabbing or knife like pains). Other common symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include sensations of heat or cold in the feet; persistent achy feeling in the feet and cramp-like sensations in the legs. You might also experience pain on walking often described as walking barefoot on marbles , or walking barefoot on hot sand .

In advanced cases when left untreated, it has been observed that the pain can extend above the feet and may involve the whole of the legs. If this happens, then there is often upper limb involvement as well. It is characteristically present more at night and can cause a sense of tiredness through the day, affecting quality of life and performance at work. Here are 5 unusual signs of diabetes you should watch out for!

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