Washington, Oct 7 : A recent study has revealed that diabetic patients with neuropathic symptoms such as numbness or tingling in feet or hands are twice more likely to be unemployed than those without the symptoms.

The study carried out by the researchers from Geisinger Center for Health Research has suggested that workers who have diabetes with neuropathic symptoms lose the equivalent of 1.4 hours a week or 3.65 billion dollars per year in health-related lost productive time.

Loss of 1.4 hours was more than twice the amount of lost time of diabetic workers without neuropathic symptoms. This is the reason why individuals with diabetes are much more likely to be unemployed.

The researchers looked at 19,075 working adults, including 1,003 who were diagnosed with diabetes. Of these workers, 38 percent reported diabetes-related numbness or tingling in their feet or hands.

When the researchers compared health-related lost productive time, it was 18 percent higher in diabetics with symptoms and 5 percent higher in diabetics without symptoms.

As a result of the study it was found that those diabetic patients with neuropathic symptoms were twice more likely to be unemployed than those without symptoms. (ANI)