 |
Diabetes
It has recently been projected that one in every three children in the US will develop diabetes within their lifetime. Diabetes is a disabling disease because it effects the blood vessels in a variety of organs, including the heart, kidneys, retina and nerves.
Neuropathy:
About 1/3 of all diabetics that have normal kidneys already have neuropathy. It is estimated that 50 percent of those with diabetes have some form of Neuropathy, but not all with this form of diabetes have symptoms. The highest rates of Neuropathy occur in individuals who have had the disease for 25 years. |
|
Diabetic Neuropathy also appears to be more common in people who have had problems controlling their blood glucose levels, in those with high levels of blood fat and blood pressure, in overweight people, and in people over the age of 40. The most common type is peripheral neuropathy, also called distal symmetric neuropathy, which affects the arms and legs. |
Diagnosis:
Neuropathy is best detected as an impairment of vibration sensation by the examining physician. Perception of vibration is tested using a tuning fork that is applied to a bony prominence on a patient's hand, ankle or foot. A patient suffering from neuropathy would stop feeling the sensation, while the examining physician can still feel it vibrating. Considered the standard method to test vibration sensation, physicians seldom perform the test because tuning forks are cumbersome, difficult to carry, and most physicians are not used to carry gadgets except for a stethoscope, cell phone or pager ().
|
|
|
|
|
