Symptoms & Signs
Digestive tract:
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Swallowing difficulty
Legs and arms:
- Deep pain, most commonly in the feet and legs
- Loss of the sense of warm or cold
- Muscle cramps
- Numbness (if the nerves are severely damaged, you may be unaware that a blister or minor wound has become infected)
- Tingling or burning sensation in the extremities, particularly the feet
- Weakness
Other symptoms:
- Dizziness
- Drooping eyelid
- Drooping face
- Drooping mouth
- Impotence
- Light-headedness when standing up (orthostatic hypotension)
- Loss of bladder control
- Rapid heart rate
- Speech impairment
- Vision changes
Note: Symptoms vary depending on the nerves affected, and may include symptoms other than those listed. Symptoms usually develop gradually over years.
Diagnosis & Tests
Physical examination, including nervous system (neurological) and sensory tests, may diagnose neuropathies. A common early finding is the absence of ankle reflexes.
Health care providers often test for loss of sensation in the feet with a brush-like instrument called a monofilament.
Electrodiagnostic testing may be done.
-
Diabetic neuropathy : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Diabetic neuropathy : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
-
Diabetic neuropathy : Treatment
Review Date : 8/20/2008
Reviewed By : A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Greg Juhn, MTPW, David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Elizabeth H. Holt, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yale University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (3/18/2008).
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