A brief guide to nerve damage caused by diabetes

Diabetes can also cause a condition called autonomic neuropathy. Autonomic neuropathy can cause problems like these:

The autonomic nervous system governs the body functions that you don't normally have to think about — such as heartbeat, digestion, sweating and bladder control — but that become more top-of-mind if nerves are damaged.

• Cardiovascular glitches, such as irregular heartbeat and a condition called orthostatic hypotension, in which your blood pressure fails to quickly adjust when you stand up, making you feel faint or dizzy. Deadened nerves can also fail to pick up pain from a heart attack.
• Gastroparesis, in which muscles of the gastrointestinal tract become slow and inefficient. Sluggish digestion not only causes gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, constipation and loss of appetite, but it makes blood-sugar patterns more difficult to predict and counter with insulin.
• Poor bladder function, in which nerves may have trouble telling when the bladder is full and don't empty the bladder completely when you void.
• Sexual dysfunction, in which men find it difficult to get or maintain an erection and women experience vaginal dryness or tepid sexual response. Usually, however, sex drive is unaffected in both sexes.
• Dulled response to nervous symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as shakiness, sweating and anxiety, a dangerous condition known as hypoglycemia unawareness.
• Profuse sweating and poor regulation of body temperature.

While it's up to you to sound the neuropathy alarm if you suspect you have nerve damage, your doctor can confirm and fine-tune the diagnosis with subtle tests.

• In one, he may hold a tuning fork against body parts, such as your foot, to find out whether you can detect its vibration.
• Similarly, he may touch you with a hairlike fine wire to gauge your response to delicate stimuli, or apply heat or cold to make sure you could tell if you were being harmed by, say, scalding bathwater.
• If any of these tests indicate that you have nerve damage, your primary care physician will probably send you to a neurologist to learn the extent of the damage.

Nerve damage is a major symptom of diabetes -- one that cannot be taken lightly. If you are experiencing symptoms of nerve damage, be sure to see your doctor immediately. The sooner you are diagnosed, the sooner you can start fighting the condition.