Neuropathy is a disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Those affected feel a tingling or burning sensation in their extremities. A peculiarity of neuropathy is that the pain and unpleasant accompanying symptoms usually occur at rest. However, they can be less severe during movement.
Below you can find out more about the causes, symptoms and treatment of neuropathy and which doctor treats neuropathy.
You will no doubt be familiar with the feeling of unpleasant tingling in your arms, hands, legs or feet. In most cases, the tingling is caused by harmless reasons, such as a foot that has fallen asleep or a heavy load.
However, anyone who experiences increased tingling may be suffering from neuropathy. This is a disorder of the peripheral nervous system. This includes all nerves that are not part of the spinal cord and the nerve cells in the brain. Damaged nerves can also cause tingling or burning sensations in regions further away from the spinal cord.
The main symptoms of neuropathy are
The legs or feet are usually affected. However, the arms and hands can also experience these symptoms.
Diabetics are particularly at risk from neuropathy. For example, if the feet become numb due to this disease, patients may not even notice when they walk sore. This can result in injuries that can develop into the dreaded diabetic foot syndrome. In the worst case, the foot then has to be amputated.
For this reason, optimum control of blood glucose levels is very important. Coupled with sufficient exercise, amputation can be effectively prevented in many cases.
However, neuropathy can also lead to other symptoms and dangers. This is the case when the internal organs are affected. This is referred to as autonomic neuropathy. It also affects the autonomic nervous system and can lead to cardiac arrhythmia or erectile dysfunction.
In diabetics, neuripathy can lead to a diabetic foot. During the diagnosis, the doctor checks for sensory disturbances © memorisz | AdobeStock
There can be various reasons for neuropathy. These include, for example
A very common cause of neuropathy is diabetes mellitus. Around a third of all diabetics suffer from neuropathy. The reasons for this are not clearly understood, but there is one assumption. In diabetes, blood sugar levels are constantly elevated. This can lead to circulatory disorders in the nerves. Neuropathy can develop as a result of this damage.
The first step before treatment is a diagnosis. The doctor must carry out various examinations to find out what the disease is and what is causing it.
For example, they can carry out reflex tests or check the sensitivity of the skin at certain points. The examination of nerve conduction velocities or blood tests are also part of the diagnostic spectrum.
Once the cause has been found, it is treated individually. If, for example, alcohol abuse is behind the disease, then it helps to reduce or completely stop alcohol consumption. In the case of infectious diseases, the infection as such is also treated. If severe pain occurs as a result of neuropathy, painkillers can help.
Diabetics are advised to monitor and adjust their blood sugar levels particularly carefully. In addition, exercise and a healthy diet can do no harm.
In the case of diabetes, neuropathy can usually only be contained, not completely cured.
With other causes, the nerves can at least partially regenerate with the help of appropriate therapy. This also includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In any case, further damage can be avoided with the correct therapy.
The extent to which the symptoms then subside also depends on how far the disease has already progressed.
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