Peripheral Neuropathy: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment

What Causes Neuropathy:

what causes neuropathy

A key part of treatment is identifying the underlying cause of the neuropathy and treating it. Sometimes, your symptoms may go away when the underlying cause is addressed. But other times you may be left with residual symptoms, even after this is corrected. Some less common neuropathies are ‘non-length dependent’ and don’t appear with this sort of pattern. One example is chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), which is a condition characterized by progressive weakness and reduced feeling sensitivity in the arms and legs.

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Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms, and whether anything makes them worse or better. They will also ask about other conditions you have and any medicines or other therapies you are taking. Peripheral neuropathy is a general term that describes many conditions caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system. Chemotherapy, HIV drugs, and some other drugs can cause tingling, numbness, or even movement problems. If you have diabetes, you may be able to keep your symptoms from getting worse by keeping your blood glucose under control. This may be an even more important goal for minority populations in the US, who face greater rates of complications from diabetes.

what causes neuropathy

Together, these might help give more information about a specific kind of peripheral neuropathy. Many different causes can lead to peripheral neuropathy, but diabetes is the most common. It most often leads to a symmetric pattern of symptoms that begin in the feet. Treatment focuses on addressing the underlying cause and using medication to reduce the pain. ‘Neuropathy presents a spectrum of symptoms,’ says Daniel DiCapua, MD, a Yale Medicine neurologist.

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The most effective way to treat neuropathy is to address the underlying cause, such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, infection, an autoimmune condition, or cancer. If the nerve cell damage is modest, patients may regain function and experience less pain once their condition is under control. In addition to efforts to treat or prevent underlying nerve damage, other NINDS-supported studies are informing new strategies for relieving neuropathic pain, fatigue, and other neuropathy symptoms.

It can take weeks or longer before you notice the effects of treatment, but do not be discouraged. Some neuropathies can completely resolve, and those that cannot be reversed can often be managed to prevent progression. The pain of neuropathy can be distressing, and it can interfere with they said your quality of life and with your ability to be active. Symptomatic treatment is important, but it does not heal the myelin or the nerve and it does not prevent neuropathy from worsening. Chronic Alcoholism Alcoholic neuropathy is considered one of the most common forms of neuropathy.

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Cold temperatures reduce swelling by causing blood vessels to constrict. If a strain or sprain causes forearm pain, icing the area with an ice pack or frozen bag of peas (along with other RICE-method techniques) is one of the best drug-free home remedies. A combination of medications, physical therapy, psychological treatment, and even surgery or implants may be used to bring about the best results. If your doctor is able to identify an underlying cause for the neuropathic pain, treating it may reduce and even eliminate the pain. Antidepressant medications have shown great promise in treating symptoms of neuropathic pain.

Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for CIDP patients, 30% of which risk eventually being confined to a wheelchair. As a group, peripheral neuropathies are common, especially among people over the age of 55. All together, the conditions affect 3% to 4% of people in this group. Usually, treatment of neuropathy is focused on preventing nerve and myelin damage by controlling the underlying cause. Symptomatic treatment is usually necessary to relieve discomfort or pain. Neuropathy can occur due to damage of the myelin, which is a fatty layer of protection surrounding the nerves, or in severe cases, nerve damage may occur.

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Taking a thorough medical history and conducting a physical exam are key parts of diagnosis, and can help your healthcare provider determine the exact nature of the symptoms and how they have evolved. During the exam, your provider will check for signs such as muscle weakness, decreased sensation, and loss of reflexes. In contrast, via a condition like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the most common genetic cause of peripheral neuropathy, tends to cause more problems with movement. It causes predominant symptoms like weakness or paralysis of the feet and lower leg muscles and hands, foot deformities, and problems with balance, with fewer sensory or pain issues.

These include lidocaine patches, capsaicin patches, and prescription-strength ointments and creams. An important goal is that your doctor will aim to provide pain relief, help you maintain typical capabilities despite the pain, and improve your quality of life. A syphilis infection can also lead to the burning, stinging unexplained pain. This can lead to gangrene if untreated, and in severe cases may mean the foot has to be amputated. Not all of the underlying causes of neuropathy can be treated.

It is called an overuse strain injury, which occurs when the nerve that travels through the wrist is compressed. People whose work requires repeated motions with the wrist (such as assembly-line workers, physical laborers, and those who use computer keyboards for prolonged periods) are at greater risk. This type of neuropathy is usually asymmetric (not affecting both sides of the body equally). Causes can include cancer and inflammatory diseases such as Guillain-Barr’ syndrome (acute demyelinating polyneuropathy), Miller Fisher syndrome, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Neuropathy is a common complication of cancer, whether due to the location of your tumor or the treatment, such as chemotherapy, that you’ve undergone. There are a wide variety of treatments and medications for neuropathy, depending on the type of nerve damage and the severity of symptoms, according to the FPN.

In some cases, symptoms improve on their own and may not require advanced care. Unlike nerve cells in the CNS, peripheral nerve cells continue to grow throughout life. Peripheral nerves send many types of sensory information to the central nervous system (CNS), such as the message that your feet are cold. Bacterial infections such as Lyme disease can also cause nerve damage and pain if they aren’t treated.

Neuropathic is usually caused by a chronic, progressive nerve disease, although it can also occur as the result of injury or infection. For example, treatment for muscle weakness may involve physiotherapy and walking aids. Nerve pain may be treated with prescribed medicines called neuropathic pain agents, as standard painkillers often try what he says do not work. For example, if you have diabetes, it may help to gain better control of your blood sugar level, stop smoking and cut down on alcohol. Treatment for peripheral neuropathy depends on the symptoms and underlying cause. In the UK it’s estimated almost 1 in 10 people aged 55 or over are affected by peripheral neuropathy.

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