Diabetic Neuropathy Foundation of the Southwest
Welcome & Bienvenidos!
Welcome to the Diabetic Neuropathy Foundation of the Southwest! The foundation
is involved in a variety of outreach and research activities pertaining to diabetic
neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is the progressive loss of sensory and motor function that occurs in the hands and feet of people with diabetes. This crippling disease will affect more than half of the 20 million Americans who have diabetes. In the year 1999, 88,000 limb amputations were done in the United States due to diabetic neuropathy. Although diabetes affects 6% of Caucasians, it affects up to 15% of Hispanics and 60% of Native Americans. The financial impact of diabetic neuropathy in terms of direct health care costs and loss of productivity has been estimated at several billions of dollars. The emotional impact of living with the pain and sensory loss imposed by diabetic neuropathy on the hands and feet, and the emotional impact of living with limb loss truly cannot be calculated.
Although the metabolic nature of the diabetic neuropathy disease has become better understood in the last few years, doctors today still do not have a medical approach to either prevent or treat the progressive loss of sensory and motor function that occurs in the hands and feet of people with diabetes. Controlling the blood sugar level and taking certain "neuropathic" pain medications remains the mainstay of the treatment approach. In contrast, over the past two decades, an approach to measuring the degree of sensory loss due to the neuropathy, using a non-painful and non-invasive computer sensory testing system, has been combined with a surgical approach to decompress peripheral nerves. This approach has been demonstrated to be effective in relieving pain, restoring sensory and motor function, and preventing ulceration and amputation.
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Our online publications provide detailed information about nerve-related problems and treatments. |  |
If you are a patient and want to learn more about causes, symptoms and treatments of nerve-related problems, visit our Online Patient Guide at dellon.com. |
Diabetic Neuropathy
Foundation of the Southwest
3170 North Swan Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 298-2324
