What are the Main Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral Neuropathy Causes & Relief: A Complete Guide

A damaged peripheral nerve can give rise to the condition known as peripheral neuropathy. They are responsible for allowing the nervous system to communicate with the various parts of your body. If they fail to work well, patients may feel things like pain, numbness and weakness in the hands and feet.

The levels of discomfort and effect of peripheral neuropathy depend on what triggered it and the nerves impacted by the disorder.

Major Factors Causing Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy may arise from different causes, which are typically grouped into multiple broad categories:

1. Diabetes Mellitus : Around the world, diabetes happens to be the topmost reason for peripheral neuropathy. Chronically high blood glucose levels may affect nerves throughout the body, mostly in the feet and hands, resulting in diabetic neuropathy. It is found that roughly 60 to 70 per cent of people with diabetes develop some sort of nerve damage.
2. Physical Trauma or Injury : Nerve injuries are possible after accidents, falls, fractures, or repeated strains on the body. If someone changes their walking pattern and keeps the pressure on the nerves for a long time due to crutches or casts, nerve damage may occur.
3. Infections : Viral and bacterial diseases can also harm the nerve tissues in your body. Among these pathogens, some harmful bacteria are Borrelia (carrying Lyme disease) and Mycobacterium leprae, which causes leprosy. Peripheral neuropathy may even occur if the Epstein-Barr, HIV or herpes simplex viruses infect the body.
4. Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases : If someone develops conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or Sjögren's syndrome, their immune system can by mistake harm their peripheral nerves, which can cause neuropathy.
5. Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders : When patients have chronic kidney disease, liver disease, or any metabolic disorder such as hypothyroidism, it may result in too much toxin or imbalance affecting the nerves.
6. Exposure to Toxins : Constant exposure to heavy metals, industrial chemicals, and some pesticides may harm the nervous system. Another big cause is drinking too much alcohol since it harms the nerves and can also result in vitamin deficiencies.
7. Medications : A few medications, for example, chemotherapy drugs, anticonvulsants, certain antibiotics, and statins, have been associated with possible nerve damage as a side effect.
8. Nutritional Deficiencies : The absence of vital vitamins such as B1, B6, B12, vitamin E, and copper  or excessive B6 intake may lead to neuropathy. Having poor nutrition or anything that affects nutrient uptake can increase the risk even further.
9. Genetic Disorders : There are cases where peripheral neuropathy runs in families, such as with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and Friedreich’s ataxia.
10. Idiopathic Neuropathy : Sometimes, doctors cannot pinpoint a specific cause for the neuropathy, which is referred to as idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. This type is especially common among older adults.

How to Relieve Peripheral Neuropathy?

Finding relief from peripheral neuropathy is all about tackling the root cause, managing the associated symptoms, and enhancing overall quality of life. Here are some common approaches:

• Medical Management: Neuropathic pain is often controlled by using pain-relief medications, gabapentin, anti-seizure drugs like pregabalin, amitriptyline, duloxetine from the antidepressant group and medicines such as lidocaine patches and capsaicin cream.
• Physical Therapy: Doing exercises aimed at strengthening muscles and restoring balance often helps a lot in easing symptoms and avoiding additional problems.
• Lifestyle Modifications: You should stay active, quit using tobacco, drink less alcohol and eat nutritious foods to take care of your nerves and relieve the effects of peripheral neuropathy.
• Complementary Treatments: Some individuals believe that using acupuncture, alpha-lipoic acid or amino acids can give them comfort, though information about their usefulness is unclear.
• Addressing Underlying Causes: Patients with diabetes must focus on their blood sugar levels, incorporate any needed vitamins, take care of infections and stop any medications that can potentially hurt their nerves to get better.
• Protecting Affected Areas: For those with diabetes, taking special care of the feet is essential to avoid injuries and infections.

What are the 3 symptoms of neuropathy?

The usual symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are the following three:

• Numbness and Tingling: Usually, the feelings of numbness and tingling first appear in your fingers or toes and move higher on your body.
• Burning or Shooting Pain: During nighttime, the pain may intensify and continue to return at unexpected times.
• Muscle Weakness: When the feet and hands are weak, people find it challenging to move around steadily, perform certain actions and carry out their usual tasks.

Further symptoms for individuals living with peripheral neuropathy can be a lack of coordination, increased sensitivity to touch, and sometimes changing heart rate or blood pressure (if nerves near the spine are involved).

The variety in the causes and symptoms makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat. Star Health Insurance offers tailored health insurance plans that can help cover the costs associated with chronic conditions like peripheral neuropathy. Hence, you may consider checking out the plans to avoid unnecessary financial burden during a medical crisis.