A subtle warning sign that "appears years before" diabetes is diagnosed

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Researchers from Hungary claim that people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes are 6 times more likely to suffer nerve damage that affects heart health.

The research team says signs of "neuropathy" include feeling faint and dizzy, and can be detected "several years" before diabetes is diagnosed.

The Semmelweis University study showed that patients show subtle signs of neurological damage, before their diabetes fully develops. The results could be used to track signs of neuropathy in patients at risk of developing diabetes, thereby slowing or preventing nerve damage.

Neuropathy is known as one of the common complications of diabetes, as high blood sugar levels damage the small blood vessels that nourish the nerves.

In the long term, this can lead to nerve damage, and the appearance of different symptoms depending on which nerves are affected. It may lead to "peripheral neuropathy," which causes numbness, tingling, burning, pain, cramps, and weakness in the feet and hands.

The research team compared the health tests of 44 people, who were assessed as being at high risk of developing diabetes, with 28 healthy people. He measured the participants' heartbeats, as well as tests on how their bodies reacted to sensations such as pain, burning and numbness.

The researchers revealed that people who are most at risk of developing diabetes have a 5.9-fold increased risk of developing a type called “parasympathetic neuropathy,” compared to healthy people.

Parasympathetic neuropathy causes damage to the nerves that control how the body rests, such as sending signals to slow the heartbeat.

The study also highlighted cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN), a type of nerve damage related to the heart, as being more common in the group at risk of developing diabetes.

Symptoms of CAN include: an inability to exercise for more than a very short period and low blood pressure, which may make you feel dizzy or faint when standing up, according to the NHS.

The researchers found a higher incidence of sensory neuropathy in the group at risk for diabetes.

“We were looking for signs of neuropathy in patients who had normal blood glucose levels, but were at higher risk of developing diabetes,” said study author Anna Currie, assistant professor of medicine and oncology at Semmelweis University. “We took a step back in time and looked at "To an early stage, where risk factors may be present but there is no clear indication that diabetes is likely."

The researchers admit that their study has many limitations, the most important of which is the small number of participants overall.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.