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A person develops polyneuropathy when his peripheral nerves are damaged. Peripheral nerves run throughout your body. This disease, polyneuropathy effect nerves, organs and muscles. The damage of nerves causes them to become unable to send signals to your brain. However, the good news is that the nerves in your brain and spinal cord are not damaged.
A person develops polyneuropathy when his peripheral nerves are damaged. Peripheral nerves run throughout your body. This disease, polyneuropathy effect nerves, organs and muscles. The damage of nerves causes them to become unable to send signals to your brain. However, the good news is that the nerves in your brain and spinal cord are not damaged.
Types:
Polyneuropathy is classified into two major categories:
Acute polyneuropathy
Acute polyneuropathy
happens when the symptoms are severe and you get the disease suddenly. When the
infection damages the nerve or when the auto-immune reaction takes place then
this type of polyneuropathy occurs. Any specific kind of disorder such as
Guillain-Barré syndrome can also contribute as the cause of this disease. The
acute cases of polyneuropathy can usually be treated in short time span.
Chronic polyneuropathy
When the symptoms last for a long time and cannot be treated
quickly then this form of neuropathy is known as chronic polyneuropathy.
Diabetes or kidney failure may lead to the development of this condition.
However, the causes of chronic polyneuropathy can be numerous. The cause is not
always manifest and its sometimes difficult to figure out the cause. Often it
happens without any cause at all.
Symptoms of polyneuropathy
Symptoms of polyneuropathy can differ according to the cause. The
most common symptoms include:
·
Paresthesia: that is the
condition in which random and bizarre sensations are experienced.
·
Sharp and sudden pain in any part
of the body
·
Distal polyneuropathy
characterized by burning or tingling sensations in your feet and your hands
·
Allodynia a condition in which a
person feels extremely sensitive to the touch
·
Numbness of any part of the body
·
Atrophied muscles causing your
legs and arms to feel weak
·
Being unable to walk straight
which can cause you to stumble and fall
·
Trouble swallowing the food.
What causes polyneuropathy?
It can be caused by genetic, acquired and Idiopathic factors.
Idiopathic is a term used in medical when the causes of
development of certain disease are unknown and the health practitioners are
unable to pinpoint the causes.
Acquired polyneuropathy refers to the causes of development of the
disease due to the factors outside the body, simply put external factors, such
as the traumatic injury caused by an accident or falling down etc or an
infection of grave nature. The underlying condition that was left untreated can
also cause polyneuropathy such as vitamin deficiency, cancer, diabetes and
other illnesses that may cause complications.
The genetic or hereditary polyneuropathy as the name suggests is
passed on to the patient by their parents. This type of condition usually leads
to slow and gradual nerve damage such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
In addition, there can be several different factors that cause
acute forms to develop.
These factors include certain insecticides, autoimmune disorders
in which your body cells attack the myelin sheath on your nerve cells,
antibiotics, sedatives and anticonvulsants. The cancers such as multiple myloma
that affect multiple parts of the body also cause this condition.
Chronic forms usually do not have any specific causes but certain
factors can contribute to the development of chronic polyneuropathy.
Drinking a lot of alcohol if one of the causes, fluctuation in
blood sugar levels and diabetes, exposure to heavy metals, nutritional and
vitamin deficiencies, failure of kidneys, condition of hypothyroidism, and some
cancers such as lung cancer.
How to get rid of it?
To get rid of this disease you must first determine the cause of
this condition. Then, you need to identify the parts of your body where it is
taking place. In some or most of the cases, pain killers are given to the
patient to provide relief from the excruciating pain that is caused due to the
nerve damage. The drugs that are given may include non steroidal anti
inflammatory drugs.
Changes in lifestyle
Changing habits and modifying your lifestyle may help you to treat
polyneuropathy. Avoiding alcohol or joining a rehab for getting rid of alcohol
addiction and avoiding the specific repetitive task may provide you some relief
from this disease.
If a certain toxic or chemical such as metal, pesticides etc is
the cause of your condition then the health care practitioner may suggest ways
to limit your exposure to it.
For severe injuries
If you have developed polyneuropathy as a result of an injury then
your doctor may suggest physical therapy and refer you to a physiotherapist for
a physiotherapy session. He will help you regain the full control over your
body and be able to move your body parts freely once again. You may also learn
that how to manage the body pains and sensations that are being caused by the
nerve damage.
Disorder caused due to autoimmune conditions
If an autoimmune condition is the cause of polyneuropathy, then
your physical health practitioner may suggest alternative therapies and
treatments. These may include the use of corticosteroids, direct injection of
immune globulin into your veins, exchange of plasma that may remove the toxins
from your blood.
What to watch out for
The overall health of an individual determines his risk factors
for developing a certain disease. If a person has Diabetes, kidney or liver
disorders, alcohol addiction, autoimmune disorder, severe infections such as
HIV, lyme and shingles and moving certain parts of your body repetitively such
as in industrial jobs.
Viewpoint
One can prevent nerve damage from happening by checking for the
early signs and symptoms of the disease. Watch out for your symptoms before
they start messing up with your life. This is one of the sure fire ways to stay
away from this debilitating disease.