Definition

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a neurological disorder caused by consequences of a primary disease—diabetes mellitus. The diabetic neuropathy may be diffuse, affecting multiple parts of the body, or focal, targeting a specific nerve or body part.

Description

Neurological damage is the result of chronically elevated blood sugar. Among all complications of diabetes, DN can be one of the most frustrating and debilitating conditions, because of the pain, discomfort, and disability it may cause, and because available treatments are limited and not always successful.

There are three main types of DN:

• Sensory neuropathy (or peripheral neuropathy, usually just referred to as neuropathy)—affects the nerves that carry...