All about Diabetes and Diabetic Amyotrophy

Diabetic amyotrophy is a type of diabetic neuropathy. Neuropathy is a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system or those parts of the nervous system outside of the spinal cord and the brain. These are the four major types of neuropathy for diabetes:

1. Autonomic Neuropathy – the internal organs, including the heart, lungs, bladder, intestines, eyes and sex organs are affected.
2. Peripheral Neuropathy – This affects the nerve ending of the limbs. It usually starts from the toes, up the legs, the fingers, up to the arms.
3. Mononeuropathy – This is the sudden damage of one nerve which could be anywhere in the body.
4. Diabetic Amyotrophy – This is most common to type 2 diabetes patients and pain usually starts in the hip area.

Unlike the most common diabetic neuropathy that starts from the ends of the limbs, diabetic amyotrophy starts from the mid section of the body, most commonly in the hip, buttocks or in the thigh. Patients will most likely suffer from severe and sudden pain, usually on one side of the body. The pain will gradually increase in intensity and will start to cover both sides of the body and will travel down the limbs. Patients will also experience slight feeling of numbness, abdominal swelling, and weight loss and weakened or atrophied muscles. The progression usually lasts for six months and the condition of the patient will improve over the next two to three years.

Diabetic amyotrophy is most common with people who have Type 2 diabetes. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a disorder affecting the metabolism or the body’s process of digesting food and turning it into usable energy. The food eaten is turned into sugar or glucose which is then absorbed by the body through the use of insulin produced by our pancreas. People with diabetes do not produce enough insulin, do not produce insulin at all or their insulin is not working to absorb the sugar in the blood.

For Type 1 diabetes, the patient’s body is not producing insulin at all, and this is usually developed young. While for the Type 2 diabetes, the body is not producing enough or the insulin is not effective in absorbing the glucose to the body cells. Type 2 diabetes occurs during adulthood. To address the insulin deficiency of the body, insulin shots are required. Both Type 1 and 2 are incurable but the symptoms can be controlled and managed with insulin shots, other medications and proper type 1 and type 2 diabetes diet.

A diabetic’s diet is always geared to maintain the blood sugar level. Food content should be high in carbohydrates and fibers. Starches are required in the diet, as well as fruits and vegetables. Patients should stay away from meats, processes products and fatty foods.

Maintaining a healthy body is the best way to avoid developing the type 2 diabetes. Excessive alcohol drinking, smoking and other vices should also be avoided. Exercising and living an active lifestyle is also important as obesity is a major factor to Type 2 diabetes. Everyone should regularly be tested for the glucose tolerance test. This is to ensure early detection and prevention of developing the Type 2 diabetes and avoidance from the diabetic amyotrophy.