What Is Peripheral Neuropathy? What Are Its Symptoms and Treatment Methods?
Peripheral neuropathy, resulting from damage to your peripheral nerves, generally causes weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet. It can also affect other parts of the body.
Your peripheral nervous system sends information from your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) to the rest of your body. Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, hereditary causes, and exposure to toxins. Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common causes.
People with peripheral neuropathy generally describe their pain as burning or tingling. In many cases, especially when neuropathy results from a treatable condition, finding and addressing the underlying cause is essential for symptom improvement.
Symptoms:
Each nerve in your peripheral nervous system has a specific function, so symptoms depend on the type of nerves affected. Nerves are classified as follows:
-Sensory nerves that receive sensations such as pain, heat, vibration, or touch
-Motor nerves that control muscle movement
-Autonomic nerves that control functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, and bladder
Signs and Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy May Include:
-Numbness, prickling, or tingling sensation in the feet, hands, legs, or arms that may spread upward
-Throbbing, freezing, or burning pain
-Extreme sensitivity to touch
-Lack of coordination and falling
-Muscle weakness or paralysis if motor nerves are affected
If Autonomic Nerves Are Affected, Signs and Symptoms May Include:
-Heat sensitivity
-Bowel, bladder, or digestive problems
-Blood pressure changes causing dizziness
Peripheral neuropathy can affect one nerve (mononeuropathy), two or more nerves in different areas (multiple mononeuropathy), or many nerves (polyneuropathy). Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of mononeuropathy. Most people with peripheral neuropathy have polyneuropathy (damage to multiple peripheral nerves).
When Should You See a Doctor?
Seek medical attention immediately if you experience unusual tingling, weakness, or pain in your hands or feet. Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best chance to control your symptoms and prevent further damage to your peripheral nerves.
Causes of Neuropathy:
Alcoholism
Autoimmune Diseases: These include Sjögren's syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and necrotizing vasculitis.
Diabetes: More than half of people with diabetes develop some type of neuropathy.
Toxin Exposure: Toxic substances include heavy metals or chemicals.
Medications: Certain medications, especially those used to treat cancer.
Infections: Certain viral or bacterial infections, including Lyme disease, shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis C, leprosy, diphtheria, and HIV.
Hereditary Disorders: Disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease are hereditary types of neuropathy.
Nerve Trauma or Compression: Trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, or sports injuries can damage peripheral nerves.
Tumors: Benign or malignant tumors can develop on or within nerves. Additionally, polyneuropathy can arise as a result of certain cancers related to the body's immune response. These are called paraneoplastic syndromes.
Vitamin Deficiencies: B vitamins — including B-1, B-6, and B-12 — vitamin E, and niacin are crucial for nerve health.
Bone Marrow Disorders: Abnormal proteins in the blood, monoclonal gammopathies, bone cancer (osteosclerotic myeloma), lymphoma, and amyloidosis can cause polyneuropathy.
Other Diseases: These include kidney disease, liver disease, connective tissue disorders, and hypothyroidism.
-In many cases, no cause can be identified (idiopathic).
Complications of Peripheral Neuropathy:
- Burns and Skin Trauma: You may not feel temperature changes or pain in numb parts of your body.
- Infection: Your feet and other areas with sensory loss can be injured without your awareness. Check these areas regularly and treat minor injuries, especially if you have diabetes, as they may become infected.
- Falls: Weakness and sensory loss can be associated with lack of balance and falls.