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What Are the Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy & High Cholesterol?

If you find you have both high cholesterol and peripheral neuropathy, you need to treat those conditions but also look for the causes. An underlying disease or lifestyle choice may cause both high cholesterol and peripheral neuropathy.

  1. Identification

    • High cholesterol is too much fat in the blood. Very low density lipids (VLDL), low density lipids (LDL) and high density lipids (HDL) create the triglyceride level. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves that go to the extremities.

    Diabetes

    • People with diabetes develop diabetic dyslipidemia, low good cholesterol, HDL and high triglycerides. Diabetes may also cause peripheral neuropathy.

    Low HDL

    • There is a correlation between low HDL and peripheral artery disease. Severe peripheral artery disease may be one cause of peripheral neuropathy.

    Alcoholism

    • While moderate or occasional use of alcohol may even help your body, excessive use of alcohol increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy and high cholesterol.

    Stress

    • Stress increases the blood cholesterol levels. Stress may also cause stress-induced peripheral neuropathy.

    AIDS

    • Some cases of high cholesterol are a result of damage to the cholesterol transport. The AIDS virus, for instance, can cause neuropathy, including peripheral neuropathy, and the neurological damage can interfere with the body's mechanism to clear the blood of high cholesterol levels.

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