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Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN)

What is diabetic peripheral neuropathy?

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a type of nerve damage experienced by those with diabetes. It is caused by high blood sugar that can damage the nerves.

DPN is characterized by pain, numbness, tingling, burning and other symptoms starting in the legs and feet, and eventually in the hands and arms. It can cause the skin on the legs and arms to become extremely sensitive to touch. It can also result in serious leg and foot problems, such as ulcers, infections and bone/joint damage.

neuropathy treatment

Symptoms of DPN include:

  • Burning, sharp or jabbing pain in the extremities (especially at night)
  • Numbness, tingling and/or a reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes
  • Muscle weakness
  • Loss of reflex response
  • Foot issues, including pain, ulcers and infections

Approximately 20% of those with diabetes will develop DPN. Many with this condition experience chronic, debilitating pain, difficulty sleeping and limited mobility. In addition, DPN patients in the United States:1

  • Spend 20-31% more on medications than diabetic patients without DPN
  • Have a higher risk of opioid use/dependency
  • Have a 16 times greater risk for limb amputation

DPN Treatment Options

Conservative treatment for DPN includes topical lotions, pain medications and carefully managing glucose levels. Unfortunately, these treatments have limited effect, and some medications used to treat DPN have strong side effects. For example, 50-60% of patients discontinue medications like gabapentin, pregabalin and duloxetine within 6 months because of inadequate pain relief or difficulty tolerating side effects.2

Fortunately, a new treatment for DPN is available from NG Vascular. High-frequency spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is minimally invasive and performed on an outpatient basis. Learn more about this treatment by clicking here.

  1. Kiyani M, Yang Z, Charalambous LT, et al., Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: health care costs and complications from 2010 to 2015. Neurol Clin Pract. 2020;10(1):47-57.
  2. Yang M, Qian C, Liu Y. Suboptimal treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain in the United States. Pain Med. 2015;16(11):2075-2083. doi:10.1111/pme.12845

To learn more about treatment options that the NG Vascular & Vein Center offers, please contact us.

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