Diabetic neuropathies.

Diabetes mellitus is a systemic disorder with a significant impact on the peripheral nervous system. Over half of the 15 million patients with diabetes mellitus in the United States have some form of diabetic neuropathy. Individuals with diabetes may develop acute or subacute painful polyneuropathy, proximal motor neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, compression neuropathy, focal neuropathy, and chronic polyneuropathy. Studies have shown that optimizing diabetic control provides the greatest likelihood of either preventing or slowing the development of diabetic neuropathy.