Type 1 Diabetes: Nervous System Complications

Diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, impacts up to 60% of people with diabetes. The biggest risk factor for developing neuropathy is uncontrolled blood glucose levels, and the incidence of neuropathy in diabetes increases with time. Those who have lived with diabetes for 25 years or longer are more likely to have some degree of neuropathy, although symptoms are not always present.

Cardiovascular problems may also play a part in the development of neuropathy. People with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at higher risk for developing neuropathy, presumably due to blood vessel damage and resulting poor blood circulation that deprives nerves of oxygen.

Neuropathies can affect the peripheral nerves of the arms, hands, legs, and feet (known as peripheral neuropathy) and they can also impact organ system function (known as autonomic neuropathy). There are also proximal neuropathies that can causes pain in the thighs, hips, or buttocks and focal neuropathies that damage a single nerve or nerve group, resulting in weakness and/or pain in a focused area. The primary symptoms of all neuropathies except autonomic are tingling, numbness, and/or pain in the affected area.

Reviewed by Francine Kaufman, MD. 4/08