How to Prevent Peripheral Neuropathy in Diabetics

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIn time, people with diabetes can develop nerve damage or neuropathy. Around 60 percent of diabetics can have some form of neuropathy. Some people may have nerve damage with no symptoms while others experience nerve problems. This can be felt as pain, tingling, or numbness of the hands and feet.

The risk of having some degree of neuropathy increases with the duration of the diabetes. Peopel with uncontrolled blood sugar levels also have increased risk of having neuropathy. Other factors are high blood pressure and obesity or being overweight.

Diabetic neuropathies can be due to a number of causes. The most common are elevated blood glucose, high blood fat levels, and long duration of diabetes. Another reason is inflammation of the nerves caused by autoimmune factors. Heredity also plays a role in increased susceptibility to nerve disease. Smoking and alcohol use are also contributing factors to developing neuropathy.

The symptoms usually start as numbness, tingling, or pain in the feet. Later on, the numbness or pain can be felt in the toes, legs, arms, hands, and fingers. Other signs and symptoms of neuropathy include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, and weakness.

There are also different types of diabetic neuropathy but the most frequent type is peripheral neuropathy. The feet and legs are commonly affected first, followed by the hands and arms. It is a long term complication of diabetes and the damage to the nerves continues over a long time.

For diabetics, controlling the blood glucose levels and having regular exercise can help prevent neuropathy. Consume foods that are lower in calories and higher in complex carbohydrates such as those found in vegetables, beans, and whole grains.

Nerve damage is also very common in people with vitamin B12 deficiency. This vitamin is vital for proper functioning of the nervous system and in the production of red blood cells. Also, a lack of vitamin B1 or thiamine is linked to vascular system damage, which includes the nerves in the hands and feet. Thiamine is essential for a lot of metabolic functions of the body.

In addition to good diet, proper exercise a neuropathy supplement containing B1 and B12 can help diabetics and non diabetics to avoid tingling, numbness, and burning pains to the feet and hands.

Lack of Thiamine Can Cause Nerve and Heart Problems

Image by bradley j via Flickr When the body does not meet the minimum requirement for thiamine, this is called thiamine deficiency or beriberi. This occurs due to insufficient consumption of thiamine or due to lack of absorption of thiamine especially for patients who underwent gastrectomy.

Thiamine deficiency can be classified into two types. One affects the cardiovascular system and is termed wet beriberi. The second type affects the nervous system and is called dry beriberi.

In the United States, thiamine deficiency is uncommon since foods are now vitamin enriched. Only people who are heavy drinkers most often develop symptoms of beriberi. Excessive alcohol intake makes it difficult for the body to properly absorb thiamine. In worst cases, permanent brain damage can happen and this is called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Patients who take diuretics or those who had undergone dialysis can develop beriberi. Infants with asymptomatic mothers who have beriberi can develop infantile beriberi since the milk produced by the mother does not contain or lacks thiamine.

Symptoms

Symptoms of dry beriberi are more on peripheral neurophaty: loss of sensation on feet and hands, paralysis of the lower leg, difficulty walking, confusion, back and forth eye movement (nystagmus), lack of concentration, difficulty talking, pain, vomiting, and tingling sensations.

Symptoms of dry beriberi affect mostly the heart. The symptoms include shortness of breath at night that causes the patient to awaken suddenly, shortness of breath after mild activity, palpitations, and edema of the lower extremities.

Treatment

Treating this type of deficiency is not really difficult. By simply correcting the levels of thiamine and maintaining it at sufficient levels will mitigate all symptoms. This is done by taking oral supplements or through injection of thiamine. To test how a patient responds to the medication, blood test is usually done after administration.

Prevention

Eating foods rich in thiamine such as oat meal, eggs, liver, potatoes, oranges, flax and sunflower seeds. Daily vitamin supplements are also an excellent source of thiamine. Refrain from drinking alcohol. Raw meat from fresh water fish and shellfish contain thiaminase. Thiaminase is a enzyme that breaks down thiamine. It is suggested to cook fish and shellfish thoroughly.