Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Essay

Explain, that diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is the most common form of diabetic neuropathy. Your feet and legs are often affected first, followed by your hands and arms.

Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

They include: heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth. In regards to the heart and blood vessels, there are approximately 65% of death that is caused by diabetes due to major complication of heart disease and stroke. In the peripheral artery diseases diabetes also plays a major role in the cause of poor blood flow in the legs and feet. Many studies show that controlling diabetes can prevent or stop the progression of heart and blood vessel disease. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also lead to foot problems that can lead to amputations. More than 60% of leg and foot amputations not related to an injury are due to diabetes. Another complication of diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. There has been a number of eye problems that if not addressed can lead to eye blindness which include: glaucoma,cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of diabetic-related blindness as study shown could be prevented if there would be regular eye exams and timely treatment of diabetes-related eye problems. Furthermore, kidney failure is also one leading cause of further complication that resulted from uncontrolled diabetes in the U.S. It is said that drugs that help lower blood pressure can help the chance to developing kidney failure by 33%. Also diabetes on nerves can lead to loss of sensation or pain and burning of the feet because nerves are harmed due to over time high blood sugar levels. It can also

Those who are diabetic may also be in risk of blindness (diabetic retinopathy) and nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). Diabetic neuropathy can lead to numbness in hands and feet, foot ulcers, and eventual limb amputation (World Health Organization). Taking preventive steps can help to avoid many of the complications of diabetes.

Most patients who have diabetes for an extended amount of time may end up with diabetic neuropathy, which is damage caused to the nerves; it affects the peripheral nerves, autonomic nerves, and focal nerves. From the high blood sugar, it can destroy parts of the patient’s blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. If diabetes is not treated, it will almost always cause heart disease or kidney disease.

Why are nerves often damaged in patients with diabetes mellitus, and what are some of the

Diabetic neuropathy can occur with long-term diabetes, usually after several years of uncontrolled high blood glucose. Glucose proteins, called glycoproteins, form in the nerves primarily those in the legs and feet. When the nerves in the feet are damaged, the brain cannot recognize pain in that area. Nerve damage from diabetic neuropathy can lead to weakness in the muscles in the legs and feet. Since the muscles work as a system, neuropathy can lead to other foot problems, such as hammertoes, calluses, bunions, and other foot deformities. These deformities are dangerous because of the risk of infection. A simple blister from a tight shoe can spell disaster

7. Examine your feet. Diabetes-related nerve damage can mean that you might have minor injuries to your feet that you can’t feel. This can lead to infections and other complications. Check the soles of your feet daily. Put lotion on them at night to keep the skin in good condition. Wear comfortable shoes that fit correctly. Ask your doctor to examine your feet whenever you have an office visit.

It is estimated that 387 million people, globally live with diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). According to Medical News Today [MNT], diabetes is a metabolic disorder; which causes patients to be extremely thirsty and produce a lot of urine. Diabetes arises due to high blood pressure, due to the body not being able to produce enough insulin or because the body does not respond well to high insulin levels (MNT, 2016). There are four types of diabetes; there is the pre-diabetic stage, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. In 2014, 29 million people died due to diabetes. This equates to 1 diabetic patient dying every seven seconds due to preventable complications (including complications affecting lower limbs) caused by diabetes. It is said that 20-40% of health care costs are spent on the treatment of lower limb complications due to diabetes. The risk of a diabetic patient developing a foot ulcer is 25% and foot ulcers account approximately 85% of lower limb amputations. Diabetic complications that affect lower limbs are caused by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). It is said that the World Health Organization described diabetic foot syndrome as including all possible complications in relation to the feet of a diabetic patient. Diabetic foot syndrome is defined as the ulceration of the foot, from the ankle downwards. Causes of foot ulceration include peripheral sensory neuropathy, vascular disease (ischaemia) and infection

Uncontrolled blood sugar levels irritate the skin tissue causing it to break down and exposing the layer underneath (Kim, 2016). The most common sites are on your big toes and balls of your feet, and they can affect your feet down to the bones. According to Steven Kim (2016), diabetic ulcers are commonly caused by poor circulation, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), and nerve damage. Poor blood circulation would not allow adequate blood flow to the feet, therefore making it difficult for ulcer to heal. Hyperglycemia can decrease the wound healing process of a diabetic foot ulcer, so blood glucose management is critical for all diabetic patients (Kim, 2016). Nerve damage/ peripheral neuropathy can result in loss of sensation in the feet due to repetitive stress. Damaged nerves can feel tingly and painful at first, but eventually results in loss of sensation which can lead to painless wounds that can cause ulcers (Kim, 2016). Thus, when patients come in with diabetic foot ulcers it is beneficial to know the cause, so the health care team can determine the course of

Globally, The number of patients with diabetes is increasing rapidly. By the year 2035, the number of people with diabetes worldwide is expected to rise to 592 million (IDF ATLAS 20131). Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause to amputations in hospitals (Boulton 20052). The prevalence of DPN is estimated to be 50-60% (Sandireddy R 20143). The pain associated with DPN can affect the patient quality of life (QOL). It affects their sleep, lifestyle, work and even can cause or be associated with depression (Jensen MP 20074). It is not well understood whether the mechanism behind peripheral neuropathy with diabetes is hyperglycemia or other insulting pathophysiological mechanism like proinflamatory immune mediators (Herder C 20135, Goh S-Y 20086). One of the possible mechanisms is the demyelination of the small C fiber, this is the leading cause behind the pain sensation with

It has been established that there are at present no adequate forms of preventing CIPN (Cavaletti, 2014). Additionally, CIPN is often under-rated and under-reported particularly as patients do not like to miss treatments (Stubblefield et al., 2009). Therefore, comprehensive evaluations using standardized and sensitive assessment tools to prevent severe neurotoxicity are a critical step for early intervention. According to Stubblefield et al. (2012), it is essential a baseline assessment including any preexisting neuropathy and predisposing factors, such as diabetes, be performed prior to initiation of treatment. This baseline assessment should include not only subjective symptoms, but assessment of strength, reflexes and

According to Healthy People 2012 there are more then 800,000 new cases of diabetes each year, with the numbers on the rise. With this in mind, Healthy People 2012 has identified diabetes as their number five focus area. In order to reach their goal of improving the quality of life for people with diabetes they have identified diabetes teaching as their number one objective. Furthermore, in order to reduce the number of complications of diabetes, Healthy People 2012 has identified foot ulcers as their ninth objective. Through patient education Healthy People 2012 hopes to reduce the number of foot ulcers in people with diabetes, as diabetes is the number one cause of nontraumatic amputations in the United States. In order to

he foot of a diabetic patient has the potential risk of developing complications such as infection, ulceration, and/or destruction of deep tissues associated with neurologic abnormalities, various degrees of peripheral vascular disease, and/or metabolic complications of diabetes in the lower limb. The lifetime risk of a diabetic individual having a foot ulcer could be as high as 25%. As indicated by the International Diabetic Federation in 2005, 85% of diabetes-related amputations in the lower extremity are preceded by a foot ulcer. Diabetic foot ulcers result from the simultaneous action of various contributing causes. The main causes are said to be peripheral neuropathy and ischemia from peripheral vascular disease. The gold standard for

The diabetic foot disease is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputation and results from three common pathologies: diabetic peripheral neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, and infection. Late complications include foot ulceration, Charcot neuroarthropathy and amputation (Turns, 2013, p.422) though another specialist like, Iraj who wrote Prevention of Diabetic Foot Ulcer, added to the most common facts: deformities and minor