Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes in which nerves are damaged as a result of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).

Symptoms often develop slowly over several years and depend on which nerves are affected.

People with diabetes can have problems digesting food, which can make your illness more difficult to control. Symptoms digestion problems include:

• Feeling full after eating only a small portion of food.
• Heartburn and bloating.
• Nausea, constipation or diarrhea.
• Swallowing problems.
• Vomiting food hours after a meal.

Tingling or burning in the arms and legs may be an early sign of nerve damage.

• These feelings often begin in the toes and feet.
• You may have deep pain, often in the feet and legs.

Nerve damage can cause you to lose feeling in your arms and legs. Because of this you can:

• Not to notice when something sharp on
• Not knowing who has a blister or a small cut
• Not notice when you touch something that is too hot or cold

Damage to the nerves in your heart and blood vessels can lead to:

• Feeling dizzy when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension)
• Having a fast heart rate
• No notice angina, the chest pain that warns of heart disease and heart attack

Other symptoms of nerve damage are:

• Sexual problems. Men may have problems with erections. Women can have vaginal dryness and problems with orgasm.
• Not be able to notice that your blood sugar gets too low.
• Bladder problems. You can have urine leakage and may not be able to tell if your bladder is full. Some people are not able to empty your bladder.
• Sweating too (when the temperature is cool when you are at rest or at other times unusual).

People with diabetes commonly develop temporary or permanent damage to nerve tissue. Nerve injuries are caused by decreased blood flow and highblood sugar levels, and are more likely to develop if the levels of blood sugar is not well controlled.

Some people with diabetes do not develop nerve damage, while others may develop this initial condition. On average, symptoms begin 10 to 20 years after diagnosis of diabetes. Approximately 40% of people with diabetes will eventually develop nerve damage.

Peripheral nerve injury can affect the nerves in the skull (cranial nerves) or nerves of the spine and its ramifications. This type of nerve damage (neuropathy) tends to develop in stages.

Autonomic neuropathies affect the nerves that regulate vital functions, including the heart muscle and smooth muscles.

To keep your feet healthy in case of diabetes, you should:

• Review them and care for them EVERY DAY
• Ensure that medical consideration at least once every year and do check your feet at every quarterly consultation
• Make sure you are using the right kind of shoes