Diabetic patients commonly experience sensory loss, or diabetic neuropathies, a family of disorders related to nerve damage. According to the American Diabetes Association, between 60 and 70 percent of people with diabetes experience some form of neuropathy. Sensory loss gradually progresses over time; symptoms are not immediately noticeable to most diabetics. Nerve damage appears in every organ of the body, though each patient experiences sensory loss differently. Diabetic-related sensory loss creates a variety of complications in the body.
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Damage often occurs to the nerves in the feet, resulting in the growth of a diabetic foot ulcer. Cuts, calluses or other foot injuries remain unnoticed when sensation is lost. A diabetic may not feel his shoes do not properly fit or realize he is carrying his weight unevenly when walking. The Merck Manual reports a foot injury often breaks through the skin before it is recognized. Any injury breaking the skin of a diabetic is diagnosed as a stage 1 ulcer, due to the foot injury's rapid decline and likelihood an ulcer will form. Gangrene, or death of skin tissue, often sets in. Decreased blood flow to the lower extremities causes longer healing time and an increased risk of infection. Left untreated, a person diagnosed with diabetes risks a foot or lower leg amputation. The American Diabetes Association points out 60 percent of nontraumatic lower-leg amputations happen to diabetics. The association adds that in 2007, nearly 71,000 lower-leg amputations were performed on diabetic patients.
Bone Deformities
A person experiencing peripheral neuropathy, the loss of sensation in the extremities, has muscle weakness and loss of reflexes, according to the National Institutes of Health. These symptoms are most common at the ankle and cause a person to change the way she ambulates. The Merck Manual notes that a diabetic patient concentrates his weight on specific areas of the foot, resulting in calluses forming. However, the patient is unaware of the injury and will continue to walk on the foot, exacerbating the condition. Foot deformities such as hammertoe or stress fractures in the bone may occur. If a person continues to walk on injuries, the bone begins to change shape and deform. Infection commonly sets in, putting the foot at risk for amputation.
Burns or Frostbite
Recognizing temperature changes becomes difficult when a diabetic experiences sensory loss. A person with diabetes risks suffering from burns or frostbite if preventive measures are avoided. The American Diabetes Association recommends diabetics to never walk barefoot. Besides risking injury, a diabetic cannot recognize hot pavement or sand during summer months. The association does not advise diabetics to use hot water bottles, electric blankets or heating pads. Ice therapy should be avoided to treat injuries due to decreased sensation and circulation.
