A sign that prevents diabetes several years before its detection has been named

The study authors acknowledged that the issue is worth further study

Hungarian researchers say that perceived dizziness and weakness when standing may be a sign of neuropathy (or neuropathy). Scientists are convinced that the development of this condition in patients prone to diabetes is six times higher than in other people.

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Signs of nerve damage that affect the normal functioning of the heart muscle, medically called neuropathy, can be detected «behind several years» before diabetes is diagnosed, say Hungarian experts.

Neuropathy — This is the medical term for nerve damage, and is already known to be one of the complications of diabetes.

Researchers at Semmelweis University say that patients show subtle signs of this damage even before they fully develop diabetes.

They are convinced that their results can be used to monitor signs of neuropathy in patients at risk diabetes, and then either to slow or prevent nerve damage.

Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes because high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels that supply nerves.

In the long term, this can lead to nerve damage and different symptoms depending on which nerves are affected.

This usually results in what is called peripheral neuropathy, which causes numbness, tingling, burning, pain, cramping and weakness in the legs and arms, which can eventually spread to the entire limb.

Other types of neuropathy that diabetics may suffer from include problems with the senses, the signals the organs receive, and the ability to control their hands .

In their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, researchers found that people with an increased risk of developing diabetes were 5.9 times more likely to develop parasympathetic neuropathy than healthy people.

Parasympathetic neuropathy — this is a type of damage to the nerves that control how our body rests, for example by sending signals to slow our heart rate.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage associated with the heart, was highlighted in the study as being more common in those at risk of developing diabetes.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), symptoms of cardiac autonomic neuropathy include an inability to exercise exercise for a short period of time and low blood pressure, which may cause you to feel dizzy or faint when you stand up.

Study author Anna Corey, associate professor of medicine and oncology at Semmelweis, explained: “We looked for signs of neuropathy in patients with normal blood glucose levels but at higher risk of developing diabetes. «We took a step back in time and looked at an earlier stage, when risk factors may be present but there are no clear signs of prediabetes.»

They looked at the comparative health results of 44 people estimated to be at high risk development of diabetes, and 28 healthy controls.

Participants had their heart rates measured and also tested how their bodies responded to sensations such as aching pain, burning pain, and numbness. Concluding their experiment, the authors stated that their results warrant further research.

The authors acknowledge that their study had several limitations, the most important of which is the small number of participants.

Another factor was that although participants were asked to stop taking medications that could interfere with the results, the authors could not guarantee that they followed this instruction.