Diabetes and Peripheral Nerve Disease

It is increasingly recognized that diabetic neuropathy is associated with early diabetes, prediabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. Early detection and diagnosis are important to slow progression and prevent complications. Although strict glucose control is an effective treatment in type 1 diabetes, it is less effective in type 2 diabetes. There is a growing body of literature that lifestyle interventions may be able to prevent or slow progression of neuropathy in type 2 diabetes. In addition to the typical distal symmetric polyneuropathy, there are many types of “atypical” diabetic neuropathies that are important to recognize.