Health & Peripheral Neuropathy

Most people, at one point or another, have experienced that awful sensation of having a foot, hand, arm or leg fall asleep. The feeling for most is temporary and goes away within minutes. For people with a condition called peripheral neuropathy, however, these sensations do not subside in a short period of time.

Definition

• Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the nervous system. The most common cause is diabetes, but it can also be caused by trauma, toxins, alcohol abuse, metabolic disorders and injuries. The description given by most sufferers is that of a tingling or "pins and needles" sensation, but numbness and burning are also often used to describe it. It can, due to its semi-permanent if not permanent presence, can affect daily functions.

Signs and Symptoms

• Symptoms should be monitored and a doctor should be sought if the symptoms do not abate (improve). This is especially true if you're suffering from diabetes, are a smoker or chronic alcohol user, or recently experienced an acute injury. The first symptoms appear most often in longer nerves and slowly make their way to the extremities, most often hands and feet. The first thing a patient will notice is burning or a feeling of "electrical shock" going down a nerve. Slowly this will turn into a constant numbness, tingling, pins and needles or burning sensation.

Causes

• The causes of peripheral neuropathy are many. If a sufferer has diabetes and poorly controlled sugar that is the number one reason for the development of peripheral neuropathy. HIV/AIDS and autoimmune conditions are also risk factors. Injuries, from condidtions ranging from carpal tunnel syndrome to pulled ligaments or traumatic injuries, are also common causes of peripheral neuropathy. In such cases these may be transient rather than permanent and may resolve on their own. Exposure to toxins, and alcoholism, are also risk factors. This is particularly true if B vitamins are absent due to disease, toxins or alcoholism (which is known to deplete the B vitamins.)

  Varicella zoster (aka shingles, an painful version of adult chicken-pox) can also leave its mark with a bad case of peripheral neuropathy. Lyme disease, hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus and many infectious diseases can also be the root cause of peripheral neuropathy. Only a health care professional can adequately advise as to the cause.

Direct Complications

• A person with peripheral neuropathy may not have any or limited sensation in their extremities or the extremities affected by the disorder. It is important that someone with peripheral neuropathy keep an eye on the affected sites and check for new injuries, extreme heat or cold (like stepping into a hot tub)because the regular neurological function warning the body of injury or extreme heat or cold is no longer functioning properly. For those with diabetes, it is inherent to heal slower than normal. Therefore, it is advisable to look out for infections and new wounds on a daily basis.

Treatments

• There is no known cure for peripheral neuropathy but there are many treatments that can lessen the effects of the disorder. It should go without saying that alcohol abuse or any exposure to toxins or workplace related injuries should be avoided. Underlying causes that can be removed show the best hope for full recovery. In the event a patient cannot recover spontaneously or affect the outcome through removing an underlying cause, then the next best set of remedies vary.

  Pain relievers are often the easiest defense against the pain associated with peripheral neuropathy. Other less common treatments include anti-depressants, lidocaine patches for localized pain and even certain anti-seizure medications that have been shown to lessen pain in the nerves such as Tegretol, Dilantin, Nuerontin and some others.