Edward Shahady, MD, Medical Director, Diabetes Master Clinician Program and Emeritus Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Test Your Knowledge on Diabetes: Foot Pain
In this “Test Your Knowledge” series, Edward Shahady, MD, asks you about treating an older man with long-term diabetes who presents with foot pain.
Your patient is a 65-year-old man with type 2 diabetes of 15 years’ duration. His diabetes is fairly well controlled, and his last hemoglobin A1c level was 6.9%. He is reporting a burning sensation in both feet.
A physical examination reveals that his feet are sensitive to the touch, and he has difficulty differentiating hot from cold water. The symptoms are worse at night, he reports. He also notes that his gait is unsteady.
Which one of the following statements is correct?