Neuropathy: What's Going On?

Today's post from vieravoice.com (see link below) is a short and simple description of neuropathy for those new to the disease, or for friends and relatives looking for more information. As regular readers will know, every now and then, a less technical post is necessary to remind people what we're dealing with. So many people have still never heard of neuropathy, despite the huge numbers of people it affects. Straightforward explanations of the condition are therefore worth their weight in gold. That said, this is just an umbrella view of nerve damage and with over 100 different forms and causes of neuropathy, reading this can only be a start - discussions with doctors and personal research are pretty much essential to understand your own personal situation.

Peripheral neuropathy: what you need to know
By by Ronald A. Turck Jr. M.D. Published: 2015.

Do you have numbness and tingling in your feet? Have you noticed difficulty with balance? Have you heard of peripheral neuropathy and feel this may be affecting you? Here is some helpful information to learn more about it.

What is peripheral neuropathy? In simple terms, this is damage of the peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that come off the spinal cord, and the majority are in the extremities. The feet, especially the toes, have the longest nerves, and typically have damage before others. The nerve has a covering, or myelin sheath, and an inner portion, the axon. The damage often occurs at the axon, but can also occur at the covering only.

What causes peripheral neuropathy? There are many causes of nerve damage, the most common in the United States being diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes. This causes elevated blood sugar, which will cause damage to the peripheral nerve. Other causes include inflammation due to auto-immune disease (the immune system “attacking” the nerve), vitamin deficiencies (such as B12) and damage due to abuse of alcohol.

What are symptoms of peripheral neuropathy? How do I know if I have this? The most common symptoms are sensory; typically one will develop numbness and tingling. This typically starts in the feet. A person can also note difficulty with balance, not related to any sensation in the head (such as dizziness, lightheaded feeling or vertigo). Discomfort can occur, especially at night. This can be “pins and needles,” sharp sensation, or a burning sensation. Weakness may
also occur.

How is it diagnosed? A neurologic exam, assessing the sensory and motor function, along with assessing balance and walking, is the most important. Testing to confirm the diagnosis includes a nerve conduction study (NCS, sometimes referred to as NCV), which uses electrical stimulation to assess nerve function. This is performed along with an electromyogram (EMG), which uses a needle to assess the muscle. Testing also includes bloodwork to assess for a cause.

Is there any treatment for it? Diagnosing and treating the cause is most important. There are FDA approved medications for treating the discomfort and pain associated with it. Presently there are no treatments for repairing nerve damage.

Should you get evaluated for it? If you feel you have symptoms, you should discuss this with your primary care physician. Assessment by a neurologist is recommended. The neurologist will often perform the testing.

Further information can be found on educational websites such as the National Institute for Neurologic Disease and Stroke (ninds.nih.gov), The Neuropathy Association (neuropathy.org), the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org) and Johns Hopkins (hopkinsmedicine.org).

Dr. Ronald Turck Jr. is board certified in general neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is fellowship trained in clinical neurophysiology, with a focus on neuromuscular diseases and has treated all types of neurologic diseases including Parkinson’s, Dementia and memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, epilepsy, migraine headaches and neuromuscular disorders such as peripheral neuropathy.

http://www.vieravoice.com/Senior-Life/June-2015/Peripheral-neuropathy-what-you-need-to-know/