TINGLING FEELING

WHAT’S making you all of a tingle? This week: When it’s a sign of type 2 diabetes

UNCONTROLLED diabetes can inflict damage to the nerves, causing tingling.

It most commonly affects the feet, starting as mild tingling, numbness or pain. It’s unlikely to be the first symptom of diabetes, because it usually happens around five to ten years after diabetes begins, says Dr Jeremy Rees, a consultant neurologist from Spire Bushey Hospital.

‘But some people have been diagnosed with late- stage type 2 diabetes after reporting nerve symptoms to their doctor,’ he adds.

This is particularly relevant considering recent figures from Diabetes UK suggest 500,000 of the four million people with type 2 diabetes in the UK don’t know they’re affected.

‘Any tingling that manifests regularly in the same place in the body should always be investigated,’ says Dr Rees.