Dizziness & Diabetes: Potential causes of dizziness
Dizziness & Diabetes: Potential causes of dizziness
Gary Pepper, M.D., FACP
YourTotalHealth.com
Various underlying conditions, including diabetes. Dizziness is a common symptom of diabetic complications, including:
* Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or insulin shock
* Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), including autonomic neuropathy, which can cause postural hypotension, and peripheral neuropathy, which can cause numbness and weakness in the legs
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that can affect sensation, muscle strength or both. Hypertension (high blood pressure) contributes to heart and blood vessel complications of diabetes.
* Cardiovascular diseases (disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels), such as:
o High blood pressure (hypertension)
o Low blood pressure (hypotension)
o Heart attack
o Stroke or transient ischemic attack (“mini-stroke”)
o Arrhythmia (an irregular heart rhythm)
o Sudden cardiac death (abrupt cessation of the heart)
o Valvular heart diseases (abnormality or dysfunction of the heart’s valves)
o Cardiomyopathy (enlargement or stiffening of heart muscle)
o Heart failure
o Dehydration or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome
o stroke
