Diabetic Neuropathy Disease Summary

Diabetic neuropathy is group of progressive, degenerative conditions involving autonomic, motor, or sensory peripheral nerves that develops in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and cannot be attributed to other causes of peripheral neuropathy.
Patients with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) have either pain or negative symptoms or both; clinical manifestations of diabetic autonomic polyneuropathy include hypoglycemia unawareness, resting tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, gastroparesis, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, erectile dysfunction, neurogenic bladder, cracking of skin or peripheral dryness, and sudomotor dysfunction with either increased or decreased sweating.
All patients with diabetes should be screened for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) upon diagnosis of type 2 DM and 5 years after type 1 DM diagnosis, and at least yearly thereafter using simple clinical tests.
Management of pain is individualized and required dose should be gradually titrated to the lowest effective dose.

For further information regarding the management of Diabetic Neuropathy, please refer to Disease Algorithm for the Treatment Guideline.