Diabetic neuropathy, the peripheral nerve damage associated with diabetes, affects approximately 10-65% of people with diabetes. It can cause a variety of symptoms, including numbness or tingling of the hands and feet, loss of balance, impaired coordination, and even gastrointestinal problems. One of the most devastating complications of diabetic neuropathy is the diabetic foot, which can lead to ulcers and infection.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetic neuropathy, so prevention of this complication with good diabetes control is important and early detection of nerve damage helps doctors to educate patients on the proper way to take care of their feet. In a recent article in Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, clinicians at Athens University Medical School in Greece studied the reliability and ease of use of the indicator plaster neuropad (IPN), a new test that can help diabetic patients identify nerve damage.

The IPN is a test that can be performed by the diabetic patient at home in 10 minutes. It turns pink when nerve conduction is normal and blue when nerve damage is found. The clinicians found that the IPN test was reliable and accurate - approximately 90% of the time, the at-home IPN test results agreed with results obtained by more complex tests used by physicians to diagnose diabetic neuropathy. And, patients performing the self-test consistently reported that the IPN test instructions were easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to interpret. All of these results suggest that the IPN test is a great opportunity for diabetic patients to proactively participate in the prevention of diabetes-related nerve damage.