Neuropathy In A Nutshell

If you're tired of lengthy scientific articles describing neuropathy which leave you needing a dictionary for every other word; today's post from thenpmom.wordpress.com (see link below) may help you understand the disease better. It doesn't overload you with information but sticks to the main facts and describes them in terms that everybody can understand. Definitely worth a read if you are new to the disease.

Peripheral Neuropathy: Feel the Burn!
Posted by The NP Mom in A Daily Dose, Health Care Provider Tools,Peripheral Neuropathy: 09 Monday Apr 2012

Have you ever heard friends or family describe burning and/or tingling in their hands, feet, or legs? This is actually called peripheral neuropathy. Read more about it:

What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy, a result of nerve damage, often causes numbness and pain in your hands and feet. People typically describe the pain of peripheral neuropathy as tingling or burning, while they may compare the loss of sensation to the feeling of wearing a thin stocking or glove.

What are the Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy?

It’s not always easy to pinpoint the cause of peripheral neuropathy, because a number of factors can cause neuropathies. These factors include:

Alcoholism. Many alcoholics develop peripheral neuropathy because they make poor dietary choices, leading to vitamin deficiencies.

Autoimmune diseases. These include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Diabetes. When damage occurs to several nerves, the cause frequently is diabetes. At least half of all people with diabetes develop some type of neuropathy.

Exposure to poisons. These may include some toxic substances, such as heavy metals, and certain medications — especially those used to treat cancer (chemotherapy).

Infections. Certain viral or bacterial infections can cause peripheral neuropathy, including Lyme disease, shingles (varicella-zoster), Epstein-Barr, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.
Inherited disorders. Examples include Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyloid polyneuropathy.

Trauma or pressure on the nerve. Traumas, such as motor vehicle accidents, falls or sports injuries, can sever or damage peripheral nerves. Nerve pressure can result from using a cast or crutches, spending a long time in an unnatural position or repeating a motion many times — such as typing.

Tumors. Growths can form directly on the nerves themselves, or tumors can exert pressure on surrounding nerves. Both cancerous (malignant) and noncancerous (benign) tumors can contribute to peripheral neuropathy.

Vitamin deficiencies. B vitamins — B-1, B-6 and B-12 — are particularly important to nerve health. Vitamin E and niacin also are crucial to nerve health.

Other diseases. Kidney disease, liver disease and an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) also can cause peripheral neuropathy.

Who is at Risk for Developing Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy risk factors include:

Diabetes, especially if your sugar levels are poorly controlled
Alcohol abuse
Vitamin deficiencies, particularly B vitamins
Infections, such as Lyme disease, shingles (varicella-zoster), Epstein-Barr, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS
Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, in which your immune system attacks your own tissues
Kidney, liver or thyroid disorders
Exposure to toxins
Repetitive physical stress, possibly from occupational activities

How is Peripheral Neuropathy Diagnosed?

Peripheral neuropathy can basically be diagnosed based on a physical examination and the patient’s symptoms.

Blood tests. These measure various levels, such as vitamin and blood sugar levels; and bodily functions, such as thyroid, liver and kidney.

Imaging tests. Your doctor may request a CT scan or MRI to look for herniated disks, tumors or other abnormalities.

Nerve function tests. These may include electromyography — which reads electrical activity in your muscles to determine if your weakness is caused by muscle damage or nerve damage — and nerve conduction studies — which assess how your nerves and muscles respond to small electrical stimuli, generated by a probe and measured by an electrode placed along the nerve’s pathway.

What is most important is figuring out the root cause of the peripheral neuropathy, and treating it effectively.

Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy:

Anti-seizure medications. Drugs such as gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin), topiramate (Topamax), pregabalin (Lyrica), carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol) and phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) were originally developed to treat epilepsy. However, doctors often also prescribe them for nerve pain. Side effects may include drowsiness and dizziness.

Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressant medications, such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), were originally developed to treat depression. However, they have been found to help relieve pain by interfering with chemical processes in your brain and spinal cord that cause you to feel pain. The serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor duloxetine (Cymbalta) also has proved effective for peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes. Side effects may include nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, decreased appetite and constipation.

Therapies
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may help to relieve symptoms. In this therapy, adhesive electrodes are placed on the skin, and a gentle electric current is delivered through the electrodes at varying frequencies. TENS has to be applied regularly.

Pain relievers. Mild symptoms may be relieved by over-the-counter pain medications. For more-severe symptoms, your doctor may recommend prescription painkillers. Drugs containing opiates, such as codeine, can lead to dependence, constipation or sedation, so these drugs are generally prescribed only when other treatments fail.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy take the time to make an appointment with your health care provider – after all, you shouldn’t have to “feel the burn.

http://thenpmom.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/peripheral-neuropathy-feel-the-burn/

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Neuropathy In A Nutshell

Today's post from painpathways.org (see link below) is a concise and useful summary of neuropathy for all those looking for a quick all-round, accurate description of the condition. Trustworthy and absolutely worth a read.

Unravelling the Mystery of Neuropathy to Manage the Illness 

Posted: July 2, 2014
 
Peripheral neuropathy - neuropathy…nerve damage – none of these may be terms you are familiar with. Neuropathy refers to diseases of the peripheral nervous system, and it affects over 20 million — or 1 in 15 — adults or children in the US.

What is Neuropathy?

According to The Neuropathy Association, neuropathy results when the peripheral nerves—those nerves that carry signals back and forth between our brain and the rest of our body—are damaged. This nerve pain impacts the body’s ability to communicate with itself: it’s as if the body’s wiring system has gone haywire. Managing the illness begins with first understanding it – and getting a good diagnosis and treatment plan in place.

What are the Symptoms?

Neuropathy’s early warning symptoms include: numbness, tingling, imbalance, weakness, and pain in the hands and feet. The symptoms also vary depending on the peripheral nerves involved: motor, sensory, and autonomic nerves.

Over 300 people with neuropathy recently helped The Neuropathy Association to create this Neuropathy Word Cloud – a powerful, visual, representation of what it is like to have neuropathy – and help the public better understand the human toll of this disease.

What are the causes?

Of the over 100 known types of neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy represents over a third of all neuropathies, making diabetes the leading cause. A third of neuropathies are “idiopathic” – or of an unknown cause. Other neuropathies include autoimmune conditions, hereditary, cancer or chemotherapy-related, entrapment or trauma-related, and neuropathies related to causes such as toxin-induced, nutritional deficiencies, gastro-intestinal disorders, metabolic diseases, or infectious diseases (including Lyme and HIV/AIDS).

How is it diagnosed?

If you suspect you may have this illness, it is important that you work with your primary care doctor to get a referral to a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular diseases. These neurologists are trained to diagnose and help people with diseases such as neuropathy, muscular dystrophies, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, among others. Getting an early and accurate diagnosis is the key to providing symptom management to restore quality of life and stem neuropathy’s progression.

Some tests that may be recommended after a complete neurological evaluation include:

* Electrodiagnostic tests (e.g., electromyograms or EMGs; and nerve conduction studies or NCSs)

* Skin biopsy

* Autonomic tests

More details about what these tests entail can be found here.

How can it be treated?

According to The Neuropathy Association, the only treatments available for the over 100 forms of neuropathy are aimed at treating the underlying medical conditions that cause the neuropathy, or treating the symptoms such as neuropathic pain. None treat the actual nerve fiber dysfunction or fiber loss, or help nerve fibers regenerate. Patients are encouraged to work with their health professionals to address the balance issues, muscle weakness, etc. with physical therapy. It is important to incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach to improve function and quality of life.

There are currently FDA-indicated medications for only a handful of neuropathies, as well as several more medications in clinical research development. For this reason, raising awareness so that more funding will be allocated to neuropathy research for more treatments and cures is critical. It is also important to help family members, friends, and the public at large to better understand neuropathy – this is as much about getting the support, understanding, and care people with neuropathy need as it is about changing the public’s perception of the neuropathy epidemic.

http://www.painpathways.org/unraveling-the-mystery-of-neuropathy-to-manage-the-illness/