Your body’s nervous system controls virtually everything you do and every move you make. From moving your muscles and digesting your food to breathing, blinking, and thinking, the nerves in your body serve as your body’s electrical circuits.

They are the wires that send and receive signals from your brain that tell other cells to do what they need to do.

Diabetes usually doesn’t impair the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). But the nerves in the rest of the nervous system can be damaged. They may be unable to send messages, send them at the wrong times, or send them too slowly.

And because the nerves send signals to so many places in your body, nerve damage can cause a range of effects. Maybe you have pain in your feet or hands. Or perhaps you are having trouble with digestion or bladder or bowel control. You may experience sexual dysfunction or loss of sensation or feeling or find that your muscles are weak. All of these symptoms could be caused by diabetic neuropathy. Often, they come and go or are severe for only a short period. These symptoms can also be caused by other health problems. Be sure to tell your provider about any symptoms you are experiencing.  Lowering your blood glucose levels may help improve these symptoms.

Neuropathy is more likely to affect people who have had diabetes for a long time or who have had high glucose levels for some time.

No one really knows for sure why high blood glucose causes nerve damage.  It may be that proteins coated with glucose cause direct damage. Or high levels of glucose may upset the chemical balance inside nerves. Or the blood supply to nerves may be cut off or constricted, and nerves may not receive the oxygen they need.  Single nerves can also get squeezed by the tissues surrounding them. However, neuropathy can have causes other than diabetes.

Prevention
The DCCT showed that people with type 1 diabetes who intensively managed their diabetes reduced their risk of neuropathy by 60 percent.

Nerves need a constant blood supply to function properly. Keeping blood vessels healthy will protect the nerves they supply. It’s also important to stop smoking and exercise regularly to help keep the nervous system in prime working condition. Alcohol is also a direct toxin to nerves and can be another cause for neuropathy.

And because the nerves send signals to so many places in your body, nerve damage can cause a range of effects. Maybe you have pain in your feet or hands. Or perhaps you are having trouble with digestion or bladder or bowel control. You may experience sexual dysfunction or loss of sensation or feeling or find that your muscles are weak. All of these symptoms could be caused by diabetic neuropathy. Often, they come and go or are severe for only a short period. These symptoms can also be caused by other health problems. Be sure to tell your provider about any symptoms you are experiencing.  Lowering your blood glucose levels may help improve these symptoms.

Neuropathy is more likely to affect people who have had diabetes for a long time or who have had high glucose levels for some time.

No one really knows for sure why high blood glucose causes nerve damage.  It may be that proteins coated with glucose cause direct damage. Or high levels of glucose may upset the chemical balance inside nerves. Or the blood supply to nerves may be cut off or constricted, and nerves may not receive the oxygen they need.  Single nerves can also get squeezed by the tissues surrounding them. However, neuropathy can have causes other than diabetes.

Prevention
The DCCT showed that people with type 1 diabetes who intensively managed their diabetes reduced their risk of neuropathy by 60 percent.

Nerves need a constant blood supply to function properly. Keeping blood vessels healthy will protect the nerves they supply. It’s also important to stop smoking and exercise regularly to help keep the nervous system in prime working condition. Alcohol is also a direct toxin to nerves and can be another cause for neuropathy.

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check also »»Types of Neuropathy and Treatment
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Martha M. Funnell, MS, RN, CDE
Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center
University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Robert M. Anderson, EdD
Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center
University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Shereen Arent, JD
National Director of Legal Advocacy
American Diabetes Association

American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes