Autonomic neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy, a nerve disease, is a possible complication of diabetes. It has been described in these words: "Autonomic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that regulate the body functions that you can't control, including the nerves that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration and digestion, among other functions. Neuropathies are often due to diabetes, although they also have other causes."

Signs & symptoms
Automatic neuropathy affects different parts of the body depending on which nerves have got impaired or damaged, and accordingly its signs and symptoms may also differ. Some of the sings and symptoms of Automatic neuropathy include:


 * Pupils of the eye show sluggish reaction to light and dark,


 * A drop in blood pressure casing fainting and dizziness,


 * Problems in digesting foods resulting into causing a fullness even after eating small quantity of foods, loss of appetite, abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, hearburn, constipation, etc.,


 * Problems in passing urine including urinary tract infections and inability to completely empty the bladder,


 * A host of cardiovascular problems like heart rate abnormalities, exercise intolerance (unchanged heart beat after exercise),


 * Heat intolerance, particularly during and after exercise, and abnormal sweating - generally decreased sweating, ns

Self-care
Regular examination of eyes and taking the medicines as prescribed exactly are the most important aspects of self-care of autonomic neuropathy. Other points include:


 * Maintaining a healthy diet,
 * Undertaking regular exercise,
 * Avoiding herbal medicines as primary medications,
 * Better stress management, and
 * Wearing proper eye protection like safety glasses and goggles.