Diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy in the practice of a primary care physician

Abstract

Diabetic peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. Diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy consists of symptom assessment and clinical neurologic examination using quantitative tests to assess the severity of neurologic disorders. The article discusses modern approaches to the complex treatment of pain form of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, starting with the compensation of carbohydrate metabolism. If, despite the normalization of glycemia, the patient continues to complain of pain or other unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to prescribe pathogenetic or symptomatic agents in order to reduce or completely disappear. The means of local therapy for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the purpose of which is to relieve pain symptoms (antidepressants, anticonvulsants, analgesics, topical agents), as well as pathogenetic therapy, based on the effect on the main pathogenetic components of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (use of drugs α-lipoic (thioctic) acid).

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• complications
• peripheral neuropathy
• pain