What Is Diabetic Neuropathy?
2. Statistics
A large study conducted in the United States found that an estimated 47% of individuals with diabetes were found to have some degree of peripheral neuropathy. A Belgian study involving 4,400 participants found that 7.5% of the participants already had diabetic neuropathy when they were diagnosed with diabetes.
Twenty-five years later, the number of participants with diabetic neuropathy increased to 45%. A study in Beijing reported the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy to be 21.92% in type 1 diabetes and 35.34% in type 2 diabetes. Although there is no racial predilection for diabetic neuropathy, African Americans and Hispanics were observed to have higher rates of secondary complications such as amputations and hospitalizations for neuropathic issues.
