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Diabetic Neuropathy

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Diabetes and Peripheral Vascular Disease

Abstract

Diabetic neuropathy is the most common peripheral neuropathy in the Western world. It is a chronic and devastating complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that leads to significant morbidity and impact on quality of life of patients. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most frequent neurological complication of DM; in fact at least 50% of diabetic subjects have DPN. Autonomic neuropathy may affect systems like the cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and the peripheral. The presentation of diabetic neuropathy can profoundly vary based on which nerves and which class of fibers are affected. In this chapter we describe the clinical presentation, the pathogenesis, and the possible treatments available for the management of diabetic neuropathy.

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Correspondence to Aristidis Veves M.D., M.Sc., D.Sc. .

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Tecilazich, F., Dinh, T.L., Veves, A. (2012). Diabetic Neuropathy. In: Shrikhande, G., McKinsey, J. (eds) Diabetes and Peripheral Vascular Disease. Contemporary Diabetes. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-158-5_4

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