Why do people get painful neuropathy?
This question is yet to be fully answered and is the subject of ongoing research. People with poorly controlled diabetes for a long time are more likely to get chronic painful neuropathy. However, many patients with relatively well controlled diabetes also develop it. Painful symptoms can be transient, eg less than 12 months duration. These symptoms are often associated with periods of high blood glucose levels, or paradoxically, when the blood glucose level rapidly improves. In these acute situations, once the blood glucose has stabilised for a few months, the symptoms often spontaneously disappear. Once symptoms have persisted for more than 12 months, they are less likely to disappear on their own. Although good blood glucose control is important for many reasons, striving for very tight blood glucose control is less likely to make the painful symptoms get better when they have been present for this length of time. A number of theories have been suggested as to why chronic pain or sy
