Get the Facts About a Common Diabetes Complication
Managing diabetes can be tough. This is especially true when you begin to notice
new symptoms. You may be wondering if these symptoms could be related to
your diabetes.
The answer could be yes.
The most common type of diabetic neuropathy is diabetic peripheral neuropathy: pain in your hands or feet.
In the early stages of diabetic neuropathy, you may have no signs. You may
have numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or both. Because nerve damage can occur over several
years, these cases may go unnoticed. You may only become aware of neuropathy
if the nerve damage gets worse and becomes painful.
Pain caused by nerve damage from diabetes is called diabetic nerve pain.
Read Dorothy's Story to hear about her real experience with diabetic nerve pain.
Diabetic Nerve Pain Is a Growing Problem
About 8% of Americans have diabetes. Unfortunately, this number is only growing.
As would be expected, the number of people suffering from diabetic nerve pain has
also increased.
- It is estimated that more than 25 million Americans are affected by diabetes
- Diabetic nerve pain is a common diabetes complication, as are kidney and eye
(retinopathy) conditions
- Approximately 21% of patients with diabetes have diabetic nerve pain
- This adds up to 5 million Americans with diabetic nerve pain
Nerve pain is not the same as other types of pain you may experience. Common over-the-counter pain medicines are not approved by the FDA to treat nerve pain.