Peripheral neuropathy is a general term that means nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system. This damage may occur due to some sort of trauma to the nerves or as a result of any of several disease processes. Peripheral neuropathy may occur in any one of several varieties, but the most common type, and the type most people think of when the name is mentioned is symmetric polyneuropathy which generally effects the feet and legs and is commonly seen in diabetic patients. The reason this type of peripheral neuropathy is so common is that while heart disease and hypertension rates are currently on the decline, the number of people who are diagnosed with diabetes each year continues to climb steadily each year.
If you or someone you know has a family history of diabetes or has already been diagnosed with diabetes a normal fasting blood glucose is one of the most important things that can be had to control the detrimental health effects of the disease.
While glucose is important to the body because every cell in the body uses glucose for fuel, when glucose levels rise to the point where a normal fasting blood glucose cannot be maintained the high glucose levels can begin to damage nearly every body system. Most people are familiar enough with diabetic complications to know that highly elevated blood glucose can lead to heart and kidney problems, neuropathy, coma, and even death.
A normal fasting blood glucose is generally considered to be between 60 and 100 mg/dl, but of course this isn’t a hard and fast rule because it can be affected by age, weight, and underlying health conditions. Only a doctor can say for sure what your normal fasting blood glucose should be. Once this has been determined it is up to you as the patient to work with the doctor, keep track of your blood glucose levels, take your medications and follow dietary restrictions as prescribed. This is the only way to maintain your normal fasting blood glucose level as much as possible.
If you or someone you know begins to develop the three most common indicators of high glucose, which are increased thirst, increased appetite, and increased urination, it may be time to visit your doctor for a glucose tolerance test. This painless test involves ingesting a known quantity of a glucose solution then having your blood glucose checked periodically over what is generally a 2 hour period. In this way you will know if your body is able to maintain the normal fasting blood glucose.
These days’ people are more aware of their health than ever, and for an ever increasing number of people maintaining healthy blood glucose levels can be a matter of life and death. Even as death and disabilities from cancer, stroke, and heart disease decreases the number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to grow each year. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body is either producing insufficient quantities of the hormone insulin which regulates healthy blood glucose levels or the cells of the body have developed a resistance to the action of the insulin which is produced.
Diabetic blood glucose levels vary from person to person for many various reasons. Reasons such as heredity, age, weight, race and many other reasons, it all plays an important part in diabetes. For many, the idea of having diabetes seems so gloom and doom, such a downer but it doesn’t have too. Diabetes have so many more options made available to them today than there was years ago. For instance, diabetic blood glucose levels can range from person to person and what better way to keep track of those levels than to use a diabetic blood glucose chart in which you can chart your own progress right from the comforts of your home and eliminate doctor appointments at the same time.
Do you know what the acceptable blood glucose levels really are? Many people who suffer from diabetes wonder what a normal life would be without the constant checking and monitoring of their acceptable blood glucose level. When you or a loved one is told that you have diabetes, it is from the result that your body isn’t producing enough insulin or that your cells are not responding in a normal fashion with the rest of your body which means that a unacceptable blood glucose level would not be okay for your body and can even become toxic and result in death.