Diabetes - Neuropathy and Foot Disease

Like type 2 diabetes, neuropathy, or nerve disease, can come unnoticed as the symptoms are gradual.

It generally occurs in diabetics over 40 years old and who have poor blood sugar control. It has been found to affect around 60% of all diagnosed diabetics, and often causes necessary foot amputations and infections.

It generally appears after 10 years or more of high blood sugar levels, and occurs in both type 1 and 2 diabetics. It can be cured however, simply by controlling blood glucose, making contraction of the disease in the first place totally avoidable.

Taller people are more susceptible to the disease as they have longer nerve fibres and drinking (alcohol) can make things worse.

There are a number of symptoms to be aware of. The most obvious include an inability to feel any sensation in your feet.

If this happens you must use your eyes to check your feet, because once sensation is lost, it is quite possible to stand on a broken piece of glass for example, and feel no pain.

In fact the most common problem is foot ulcers. In non diabetics, any pressure on the sole of the foot will show itself with pain. Diabetic neuropathy means that this pain is not felt by the sufferer, and after some time, the skin begins to harden in the area being pressurised. Over time this turns into a callus, which eventually forms an ulcer.

It is quite possible for this to go unnoticed, and the problem is that as the ulcer spreads, by the time it is found; the only cure may be amputation.

The best ways to avoid neuropathic foot disease is to follow the usual procedures for diabetes:

- Keep blood glucose under control

- Seek treatment if you suffer from hypertension

- Exercise. Bad cholesterol clogs the arteries and exercise helps to stimulate the body into producing new blood vessels, as well as reducing bad cholesterol.

-Smoking. Smoking is a major cause of peripheral arterial disease, which affects your feet first. Consider giving it up.

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