Peripheral Nervous system is known to connect the nerves from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. The main role of these nerves is to deliver signals regarding the physical sensations to your brain.
The common parts that are connected to your brain include:
- Arms
- Hands
- Feet
- Legs
- Mouth
- Face
- Internal organs
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that occurs when the nerves responsible to deliver signals gets damaged or destroyed. The malfunction in these nerves generally cause damage and disturb the normal functioning of nerves. During this disease, the nerves may send signals of pain in condition when there is no pain or they might not send any signal even when something is harming you. This condition may be due to:
- Systemic illness
- An injury
- An infection
- An inherited disorder
Types of Peripheral Nerves
There are three different types of peripheral nerves:
- Sensory nerves that connect to your skin
- Motor nerves that connects to your muscles
- Autonomic nerves that mainly connects to your internal organs
During peripheral neuropathy either one or all three groups are affected.
Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms
The common symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy include:
- Tingling sensation in the hands and feet
- Sharp, stabbing pains
- Numbness in the hands or feet
- Heavy or weak feeling in the arms and legs
- Lack of grip in hands
- A buzzing or shocking sensation
- Low blood pressure
- Sexual dysfunction
- Constipation
- Digestive difficulty
- Diarrhea
- Excessive sweating
Peripheral Neuropathy Causes
There are certain general factors that may be responsible for nerve damage leading to neuropathy. The generalized symptoms are mostly caused due to diabetes that may lead to numbness, pain and loss of sensation. The risk of peripheral neuropathy increases in the following people:
- Who are obese or overweight
- Who have a high blood pressure
- Who are over the age of 40
- Who have diabetes
Other chronic diseases that may cause nerve damage and increase the risk of peripheral neuropathy include:
- Kidney disorders in which high amount of toxins gets accumulated in your body and damage the nerve tissues.
- Hypothyroidism, a condition in which your body does not produce sufficient amount of thyroid hormone that may cause fluid retention.
- Inflammatory diseases that can spread and cause damage to the connective tissues surrounding the nerves.
- Vitamin deficiency may also cause peripheral neuropathy in most of the cases.
- Certain medications like anticonvulsants, anti-cancerous drugs can also increase the risk of peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral Neuropathy Preventions
Peripheral neuropathy can be prevented even when you have had a family history of this disorder. The common preventive measures include the following:
- Avoid drinking alcohol
- Quit smoking
- Eat a healthy balanced diet
- Regular physical activity
You can also reduce the risk of peripheral neuropathy by:
- Knowing the toxins that you may be exposed to either at your workplace or school
- Protect you feet during sports by wearing socks and sports shoes.
- Never inhale the toxins like glue that may increase the risk of peripheral neuropathy.
When you experience any symptom related to peripheral neuropathy, it is better to consult a doctor to get yourself diagnosed. Early diagnosis and treatment may help in avoiding complications caused due to peripheral neuropathy.
Atefa Noorain
Connect with Atefa NoorainAtefa Noorain, (Microbiologist) former Head of the Department of Life Sciences, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Sujatha Degree College for Women. She worked as an Associate Research Analyst at Thomson Reuters and an Associate Editor of two research journals. She has presented her research work in 3 International Conferences. She has written articles for national journals and international journals. She had been felicitated as a Young Speaker in the last conference. She has worked on Nanoparticles as a part of her research project and won the Best Scientist of the Day award.
