Types Of Neuropathies And Their Attendant Symptoms?

Answer 1

Peripheral neuropathy - often just known as neuropathy - is a condition that affects the body's peripheral nerves and that causes, among other things, excessive tingling and/or numbness in the feet and hands.

Not all nerves are affected by peripheral neuropathy, and this disease has been found to target only the autonomic, motor and sensory nerves that travel the routes between the spinal cord and, respectively, the body's internal organs, muscles, and skin. In many cases, it cannot be determined exactly what causes the disease, but its development has been linked to such diverse pre-existing conditions as Diabetes, infections, cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Cases of peripheral neuropathy can range in severity from those that are minor annoyances with patients experiencing slight numbness in their fingers and toes to those that are so severe and debilitating they result in the patient's death. The most common symptoms include tingling of the extremities - the fingers and toes then the hands and feet and, eventually, the arms and legs - the "heavy legs" sensation where a patient has difficulty moving his legs because they are so numb and the feeling that one is wearing a sock when, in fact, this isn't the case Further symptoms include a feeling of weakness and, perhaps, pain in the legs or arms and, in advanced cases, sexual dysfunction, irregular bowel movements leading to constipation and frequent bouts of dizziness.

Neuropathy symptoms are divided into three groups, and a patient will usually only experience one group of symptoms - related to either sensory nerve neuropathy, autonomic nerve neuropathy or motor nerve neuropathy - depending on which set of nerves is affected. There are also several different classifications of peripheral neuropathy that have been recognised, and these would include the hereditary neuropathies, the neuropathies induced as a result of chemotherapy and those that arise as a result of bad nutritional habits.

Not all cases of peripheral neuropathy can be cured and, in some cases, patients can only be given palliative care through treatments like physical therapy. Neuropathy is not a very well known condition, and those who experience any of the abovementioned symptoms should immediately consult their physician.