Neuropathy, diabetic
peripheral, autonomic, proximal, and focal. Peripheral neuropathy, the most common, causes pain or loss of feeling in the hands, arms, feet, and legs. Autonomic neuropathy can cause changes in digestion, bowel and bladder control problems, and erectile dysfunction, and it can affect the nerves that serve the heart and control blood pressure. Proximal neuropathy produces pain in the thighs and hips and weakness in the legs. Focal neuropathy can strike any nerve in the body, causing pain or weakness. Treatment of diabetic neuropathy principally involves bringing the blood glucose and glycohemoglobin levels into the normal range. Good foot care is mandatory. Analgesics, low doses of antidepressants, and some anticonvulsant medications may be prescribed for relief of pain, burning, or tingling. Some patients may find that walking regularly, taking warm baths, and using elastic stockings help relieve leg pain due to diabetic neuropathy.
Read Also:
- Neuroplasticity
The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment. Brain reorganization takes place by mechanisms such as “axonal sprouting” in […]
- Neuropsychologist
A psychologist who has completed special training in the neurobiological causes of brain disorders and who specializes in diagnosing and treating these illnesses by using a predominantly medical (as opposed to psychoanalytical) approach.
- Neuroradiologist
A radiologist who specializes in the use of radioactive substances, x-rays and scanning devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system. A neuroradiologist mat be concerned with the clinical imaging, therapy, and basic science of the central and peripheral nervous system, including but not limited to the brain, spine, head and […]
- Neuroradiology
The field within radiology that specializes in the use of radioactive substances, x-rays and scanning devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system. Neuroradiology involves the clinical imaging, therapy, and basic science of the central and peripheral nervous system, including but not limited to the brain, spine, head and neck, interventional […]
- Neuroscientist
A scientist who studies the nervous system, including the neural basis of behavior; parts of the nervous system such as the visual or auditory systems; the function of groups of neurons (nerve cells); what individual neurons do; what happens at the synapse; ion channels in a neuronal membrane; and the genetic basis of neuronal function.