On Medication For Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. Having Burning Sensation Over Lower Limbs. What Would Be The Cause?

Posted on Fri, 8 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 8 Nov 2013 Answered on

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : my brother is 52 years old. he has long standing, DM type 2 , it is well controlled on oral medications. recently he is complaining of burning sensation over lower limbs. he is wondering, what would be the cause?

Answered by Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Pain, temperature and fine touch testing required Detailed Answer: Hi, It is common complaint from people who have long standing diabetes. They would lose pain, temperature and fine touch sensations. I would not say that your brother would have lost it too, but there is a definite indication to test for these by the doctor. IF they are lost a high suspicion of diabetic neuropathy. The uncontrolled blood sugars can delay the signals in the long nerves that travel to the foot. If the sensations on the foot are not lost on examination, we should think of nutritional deficiency like Vit B1, B12. I would closely exclude the skin causes like Eczema for such patients. For now let him apply CALADRYL lotion if it helps him. If it does not then it may not be skin cause. Hope this helps.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli