Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are often worse at night, and may include:. The autonomic nervous system controls blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, eyes, bladder, digestive system and sex organs. Diabetes can affect nerves in any of these areas, possibly causing signs and symptoms including:.

This type of neuropathy often affects nerves in the thighs, hips, buttocks or legs. It can also affect the abdominal and chest area.

Symptoms are usually on one side of the body, but may spread to the other side. Proximal neuropathy may include:. Mononeuropathy refers to damage to a single, specific nerve.

The nerve may be in the face, torso, arm or leg. Mononeuropathy may lead to:. The American Diabetes Association ADA recommends that screening for diabetic neuropathy begin immediately after someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or five years after diagnosis with type 1 diabetes.

After that, screening is recommended once a year. The exact cause of each type of neuropathy is unknown. Researchers think that over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar damages nerves and interferes with their ability to send signals, leading to diabetic neuropathy.

High blood sugar also weakens the walls of the small blood vessels capillaries that supply the nerves with oxygen and nutrients. Anyone who has diabetes can develop neuropathy. But these risk factors make nerve damage more likely:. You can prevent or delay diabetic neuropathy and its complications by closely managing your blood sugar and taking good care of your feet.

The American Diabetes Association ADA recommends that people living with diabetes have a glycated hemoglobin A1C test at least twice a year. This test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past 2 to 3 months.

glycated hemoglobin A1C goals may need to be individualized, but for many adults, the ADA recommends an A1C of less than 7. If your blood sugar levels are higher than your goal, you may need changes in your daily management, such as adding or adjusting your medications or changing your diet or physical activity.

Foot problems, including sores that don't heal, ulcers and even amputation, are common complications of diabetic neuropathy. But you can prevent many of these problems by having a thorough foot exam at least once a year.

Also have your health care provider check your feet at each office visit and take good care of your feet at home.

Follow your health care provider's recommendations for good foot care. To protect the health of your feet:. On this page. When to see a doctor. Risk factors. A Book: The Essential Diabetes Book.

Peripheral neuropathy This type of neuropathy may also be called distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy. Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are often worse at night, and may include: Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes Tingling or burning feeling Sharp pains or cramps Muscle weakness Extreme sensitivity to touch — for some people, even a bedsheet's weight can be painful Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, and bone and joint damage.

Autonomic neuropathy The autonomic nervous system controls blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, eyes, bladder, digestive system and sex organs. Diabetes can affect nerves in any of these areas, possibly causing signs and symptoms including: A lack of awareness that blood sugar levels are low hypoglycemia unawareness Drops in blood pressure when rising from sitting or lying down that may cause dizziness or fainting orthostatic hypotension Bladder or bowel problems Slow stomach emptying gastroparesis , causing nausea, vomiting, sensation of fullness and loss of appetite Difficulty swallowing Changes in the way the eyes adjust from light to dark or far to near Increased or decreased sweating Problems with sexual response, such as vaginal dryness in women and erectile dysfunction in men.

Proximal neuropathy diabetic polyradiculopathy This type of neuropathy often affects nerves in the thighs, hips, buttocks or legs. Proximal neuropathy may include: Severe pain in the buttock, hip or thigh Weak and shrinking thigh muscles Difficulty rising from a sitting position Chest or abdominal wall pain.

Mononeuropathy focal neuropathy Mononeuropathy refers to damage to a single, specific nerve. Mononeuropathy may lead to: Difficulty focusing or double vision Paralysis on one side of the face Numbness or tingling in the hand or fingers Weakness in the hand that may result in dropping things Pain in the shin or foot Weakness causing difficulty lifting the front part of the foot foot drop Pain in the front of the thigh.

More Information. Types of diabetic neuropathy. Call your health care provider for an appointment if you have: A cut or sore on your foot that is infected or won't heal Burning, tingling, weakness or pain in your hands or feet that interferes with daily activities or sleep Changes in digestion, urination or sexual function Dizziness and fainting The American Diabetes Association ADA recommends that screening for diabetic neuropathy begin immediately after someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or five years after diagnosis with type 1 diabetes.

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You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. But these risk factors make nerve damage more likely: Poor blood sugar control. Uncontrolled blood sugar increases the risk of every diabetes complication, including nerve damage.

Diabetes history. The risk of diabetic neuropathy increases the longer a person has diabetes, especially if blood sugar isn't well controlled. Kidney disease. Diabetes can damage the kidneys. Kidney damage sends toxins into the blood, which can lead to nerve damage.

Being overweight. Having a body mass index BMI of 25 or more may increase the risk of diabetic neuropathy. Smoking narrows and hardens the arteries, reducing blood flow to the legs and feet. This makes it more difficult for wounds to heal and damages the peripheral nerves. Diabetic neuropathy can cause a number of serious complications, including: Hypoglycemia unawareness.

It affects the nerves particularly in the feet and hands and can be motor neuropathy, sensory neuropathy or both. Nerves in your feet should be checked during your routine annual diabetes check-up. For more information on peripheral neuropathy including treatment and symptoms, go to the NHS website.

Sensory neuropathy is damage to nerves that tell us how things feel, smell and look. It affects the nerves that carry messages of touch, temperature, pain and other sensations from the skin, bones and muscles to the brain.

It mainly affects the nerves in the feet and the legs, but people can also develop this type of neuropathy in their arms and hands. Loss of feeling is dangerous because you may not notice minor injuries, for example if you step on something sharp while barefoot or get a blister from badly-fitting shoes.

If ignored, minor injuries may develop into infections or ulcers. People with diabetes are more likely to be admitted to hospital with a foot ulcer than with any other diabetes complication. This is one of the serious foot complications caused by diabetes. We've got more information about what causes Charcot foot , as well as how to treat and prevent it.

Autonomic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that carry information to your organs and glands. Motor neuropathy affects the nerves that control movement. Damage to these nerves leads to weakness and wasting of the muscles that receive messages from the affected nerves.

It can also lead to muscle twitching and cramps. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with no. Skip to main navigation Skip to content.

Breadcrumb Home Guide to diabetes Complications Nerves neuropathy. Save for later Page saved! You can go back to this later in your Diabetes and Me Close. Nerves are bundles of special tissues that carry signals between your brain and other parts of your body.

The signals. Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage that typically affects the feet and legs and sometimes affects the hands and arms. Autonomic neuropathy is damage to nerves that control your internal organs. Autonomic neuropathy can lead to problems with your heart rate and blood pressure, digestive system, bladder, sex organs, sweat glands, eyes, and ability to sense hypoglycemia.

Focal neuropathies are conditions in which you typically have damage to single nerves, most often in your hand, head, torso, and leg. Proximal neuropathy is a rare and disabling type of nerve damage in your hip, buttock, or thigh.

This type of nerve damage typically affects one side of your body and may rarely spread to the other side. Proximal neuropathy often causes severe pain and may lead to significant weight loss.

If you have diabetes, your chance of developing nerve damage caused by diabetes increases the older you get and the longer you have diabetes. Managing your diabetes is an important part of preventing health problems such as diabetic neuropathy. Research also suggests that certain genes may make people more likely to develop diabetic neuropathy.

Over time, high blood glucose levels, also called blood sugar, and high levels of fats, such as triglycerides , in the blood from diabetes can damage your nerves. High blood glucose levels can also damage the small blood vessels that nourish your nerves with oxygen and nutrients.

Without enough oxygen and nutrients, your nerves cannot function well. Although different types of diabetic neuropathy can affect people who have diabetes, research suggests that up to one-half of people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy.

The most common type of focal neuropathy is carpal tunnel syndrome , in which a nerve in your wrist is compressed. Although less than 10 percent of people with diabetes feel symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, about 25 percent of people with diabetes have some nerve compression at the wrist.

Your symptoms depend on which type of diabetic neuropathy you have.