Definition:
Peripheral neuropathy is the term used to describe damage to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system. The damage may be bue to diseases involving the nerve due to side-effects of some systemic illness. The damage or Peripheral neuropathies may vary on how they are presented and how it originated.
Diagnosis:
A thorough physical examination is done to diagnose Peripheral neuropathy to check for some symptoms of the neuropathy manifested by the patient.
Treatment:
Most of the treatment strategies administered for Peripheral neuropathy address specific symptoms but not the disease itself. Pregabalin is an anticonvulsant drug which used to treat neuropathic pain and also as a therapy for acute seizures.
Symptoms and Signs:
Symptoms of Peripheral neuropathy includes numbness, gait imbalance, tremor, some tingling, crawling, pain, pins and needles, and itching. The patient's skin can become so hypersensitive that touching or having anything touch parts of their body is avoided. Patients become weak, tired, feeling of heaviness, and some abnormalities involving the gait.
Causes:
The causes of Peripheral neuropathy are grouped as; genetic diseases, which includes Friedreich's ataxia and Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome; metabolic or endocrine includes diabetes mellitus, porphyria, chronic renal failure, liver failure, amyloidosis, and hypothyroidism; toxic causes including alcoholism, some drugs like vincristine, isoniazid and phenytoin, organic and heavy metals; inflammatory diseases like Guillain-Barré syndrome, leprosy, systemic lupus erythematosis, and Sjögren's syndrome; deficiencies in vitamin B12, A, E, and thiamin; and others causes like some malignant disease, radiation, virus like HIV, and chemotherapy.
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