{"id":7457,"date":"2019-06-28T06:50:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T06:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7457"},"modified":"2021-05-04T20:20:04","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T20:20:04","slug":"14-common-causes-of-peripheral-neuropathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-causes-of-peripheral-neuropathy\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Anyone living with peripheral neuropathy will attest to just how draining and painful it can be, It is a condition which literally and metaphorically knows how to get on your nerves. What a lot of people might not know is just what brings the condition on in sufferers and the main reason for that is that the causes are many and varied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a maze with several entry points. It doesn\u2019t matter which door or entrance you are presented with, the route through the maze will bring you through to peripheral neuropathy no matter what you do. This isn\u2019t to say that absolutely everyone with the following conditions will develop peripheral neuropathy, but that plenty of people will and have done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the human body entirely is a luxury that very few can even claim to have a handle on, but by shedding light on some common causes of peripheral neuropathy we can at least build on what we already know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Diabetes mellitus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People living with diabetes have got enough on their plate. Always having to monitor what they eat and record their blood sugar levels. Regularly having to put their squeamishness to one side to inject themselves with insulin.
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It’s hardly a carefree life, but it can be managed with knowledge and experience. When you throw a condition like peripheral neuropathy into the mix, which is something that diabetes <\/a>can cause, the task of managing diabetes becomes just that little bit harder. That said, the resilience and patience that the vast majority of diabetics show on a daily basis are remarkable.
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The most impressive stories of people living with diabetes are those of children who manage their condition themselves. The idea of a young child having to inject themselves on the regular might cause a few people to wince, but these kids have got it going on and are well capable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shingles <\/a>is another thing that can lead to peripheral neuropathy, though the link is less well established than with diabetes. The reason why it is harder to connect shingles with peripheral neuropathy than diabetes is simple, and it all comes down to the duration of the illness.
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With diabetes, studying the condition is made very easy given that it tends to be a lifelong condition, whereas, on the other hand, shingles don’t tend to stick around for much longer than a few months at a time. Anyone with peripheral neuropathy who is trying to work out when and how they developed the condition needs to look back on their health in a very broad sense, trying not to miss out on critical details that could explain the situation they are faced with.
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Millions of people are affected by shingles every year and for the most part, the condition is managed fairly easily and without too many hiccups along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Vitamin deficiency, particularly B12 and folate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We live in an age where we are constantly told we get too much of some things and not enough of other things. As luck would have it, it’s always the good stuff that we seem to be lacking.
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It’s very rare that someone finds themselves deficient in things like sugar, salt, and cholesterol<\/a>, which is a crying shame as the vast majority of foods that contain these harmful substances are pretty damn delicious. All joking aside though, vitamin deficiencies such as a B12 deficiency can lead to much more than a reference in someone\u2019s medical notes.
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The best way to address a vitamin deficiency is to arrange blood tests with a dietician to work out exactly what it is that you\u2019re missing out on. If you\u2019re reading this and have already developed peripheral neuropathy, it might be too late to act but at least you\u2019ll be able to work out what caused it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Alcohol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drinking alcohol <\/a>is something that a large number of people enjoy regularly to help them relax, unwind and enjoy themselves. The issue with alcohol consumption is that many people don’t know when to say enough is enough and subsequently end up drinking themselves into a paralytic state.
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Now, no one is saying that one night of binging on the booze is going to cause peripheral neuropathy but repeating this cycle, again and again, is a sure-fire way to increase the risk factors for a range of different conditions. Most people know that liver problems and kidney problems can occur long term due to alcohol abuse, but the link between alcohol and peripheral neuropathy is a route that is much less well understood.
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Basically, there is always room for people to improve their quality of life in many ways, and cutting the amount of alcohol that we drink could be useful in reducing the likelihood of peripheral neuropathy developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or Guillain-Barre syndrome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly perhaps, anyone who lives with an autoimmune disease can find that they are susceptible to developing peripheral neuropathy in the long run. When the immune system is out of whack or compromised, the nervous system is incredibly vulnerable, often leading to further complications.
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One patient who suffered from lupus described the journey they went on in finding out what had caused them to develop peripheral neuropathy. They described how they looked at a whole host of external factors in their life first, such as the fact that they were a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker, and this led them to believe that the cause of the development of peripheral neuropathy was their lifestyle <\/a>habits.
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It wasn\u2019t until they changed their lifestyle habits dramatically, and found that the peripheral neuropathy was as bad as ever that they realized the answer was staring them in the face. This person suffered from lupus, and there was the cause of their peripheral neuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. AIDS, whether from the disease or its treatment, syphilis, and kidney failure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People who are unfortunate enough to find themselves living with aids can find that they fall victim to peripheral neuropathy too. Whether it comes directly from the disease or after the various types of treatment, peripheral neuropathy can take hold like a thief in the night.
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Similarly, people who are infected by syphilis can also find that the illness and the treatment can lead to peripheral neuropathy. Most people affected with the two diseases mentioned above probably wouldn’t count peripheral neuropathy as their primary concern, however, the condition is a fact that comes with the diseases, making them all the more good things to avoid.
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Safe sex is the buzz phrase used from coast to coast and whilst peripheral neuropathy doesn’t really get a mention in this context, the link is defined and clear, just as it is with kidney failure<\/a> and some of the other causes listed and expanded upon here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Inherited disorders, such as amyloid polyneuropathy or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So now we have looked at some of the more avoidable causes of peripheral neuropathy, we come on to something that you can\u2019t really do all that much about. The cause for some people developing peripheral neuropathy could well be found with an inherited disorder like the two mentioned in the above title.
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These hereditary <\/a>conditions can either be passed from generation to generation or skip a generation on the way through. It can seem unfair to find that you\u2019ve been born with a predisposition to developing a condition like peripheral neuropathy, but there really isn\u2019t much point sitting in crying about it if that\u2019s the cards you\u2019ve been dealt.
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Whilst it can sometimes seem like a lonely road facing an inherited illness, the complications which it can throw up can sometimes lead to sufferers finding someone to talk to about their disease. Peripheral neuropathy has so many causes that people come to the condition with so many different stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Exposure to toxins, such as heavy metals, gold compounds, lead, arsenic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main problem with exposure to toxins <\/a>such as heavy metals is that by the time the exposure has been identified, it\u2019s usually too late to do anything about it and the damage has usually been done.
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Toxin exposure can happen purely by sheer proximity to an accumulation, or by direct ingestion or contact from things like water, contaminated food products and the source itself. Peripheral neuropathy affects people in different ways, but with similar symptoms, and whilst the causes are varied, the condition is always something that people wished they could be without, regardless of how and why they developed it in the first place.
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Anyone who suspects that they or someone they know may be susceptible or vulnerable to harmful toxins should contact the authority in the area responsible for environmental health to make a report and to seek advice, whether or not it seems like a serious threat at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Hypertension
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Hypertension <\/a>is the medical term for high blood pressure. People who are suffering from this condition, experience blood pressure ranges above 160 for the systolic reading. Hypertension may not show any immediate signs or symptoms, and the affected individual may go undiagnosed for years. It’s for this reason that doctors refer to hypertension as a “silent killer.”\u00a0\u00a0
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Hypertension causes numerous physiological issues with the body, including problems with the kidneys the nervous system, resulting in the onset of peripheral neuropathy. In the advanced stages of hypertension, the patient experiences rapid heart rate, as well as an escalation in respiration.
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Patients who are dealing with high blood pressure require the use of medication to manage their symptoms. Hypertension occurs in people for multiple reasons, including poor lifestyle choices, as well as diseases like chronic kidney disease. Individuals affected by high blood pressure require regular check-ups from the doctor to ensure that the condition does not pose a life-threatening situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Hypothyroidism 
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The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland sits at the front of the neck. This gland is responsible for producing thyroid hormones that help regulate the body’s use of energy<\/a>. The thyroid governs respiration rate, heart rate, and metabolism. When the thyroid becomes dysfunctional and does not produce enough hormones to manage these metabolic processes, the patient may start to experience numerous physiological issues.
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Hypothyroidism is also known as underactive thyroid, and it affects women more than it does men. In most cases, the disorder only affects people over the age of 60-years old, but in some circumstances, it may occur in teenagers and young adults as well. Doctors diagnose hyperthyroidism using blood tests to check for the levels of active hormones in the blood.
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Fortunately, in most cases, it’s possible to reverse the effects of the condition of using medication. Doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, and the affected individual will experience a rapid turnaround in their situation in a few days after starting treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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11. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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Carpal tunnel syndrome<\/a> describes a compressive disorder of the median nerve that passes into the hand. The median nerve passes through the underside of the wrist, also known as the carpal tunnel. The nerve provides the sensations of feeling to your index finger, ring finger, middle finger, and thumb.\u00a0
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Patients dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome typically find that it affects one hand only, but there are cases where patients experience the onset of the disorder in both wrists at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome involves repetitive movements, such as a person placing their wrist on a mousepad for hours. The compressive force acting on the wrist damages the carpal tunnel putting pressure on the median nerve, causing issues with feeling in the hand and fingers.
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If the affected individual receives treatment within the first few months of condition, then there is a chance that they can reverse the damage caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. However, in many cases, the situation remains permanent in the patient will only gain relief from their symptoms through surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12. Smoking
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When we consider the dangers to your health from the effects of cigarette smoking, it’s surprising to think that the government is not outlawed this practice already. Each year, more than 600,000-people die as a result of smoking-related diseases. Most people know that smoking causes damage to the lungs, but they do not realize that it may also cause damage to the nervous system and brain as well.
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With every cigarette<\/a> they smoke, smokers ingest a toxic cocktail of over 7,000-chemicals, many of which remain unstudied by medical science, due to tobacco lobbyists putting pressure on the government.
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Benzene is an example of a toxic chemical found in cigarette smoke that can damage the nervous system, resulting in the onset of peripheral neuropathy. The smoker may notice a decrease in sensations in the extremities, with the fingers and toes most affected.
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People older than 40-years of age are at a much higher risk of developing complications and diseases related to smoking. If you have trouble with smoking cessation, speak to your doctor, and they will outline a plan to help you stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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13. Lyme Disease 
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Lyme disease<\/a> is a condition caused by the bacteria “Borrelia burgdorferi sensu late.” B. burgdorferi transfers to humans due to the bite from an infected ear tag or black-legged tick common to the Texas region of the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ticks absorb the pathogen after feeding on infected mice or deer. In cases where Lyme disease transmits to humans, the parasite must be present on the surface of the skin for between 24 to 48-hours. Strangely enough, many people that contract Lyme disease have no memory of being bitten by a tick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who spend more time outdoors hunting or engaging and outdoors activities are at a higher risk of contracting Lyme disease, due to a tick bite. Lyme disease evolves in the patient in three distinct stages; the first being the localized stage, the second is the early disseminated stage, and finally, the late disseminated stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each stage has different symptoms, and patients Who experience the late disseminated stage of Lyme disease may end up experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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14. Cardiovascular Disease
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Cardiac myopathy, or a heart attack, is one of the leading causes of death for Americans. There is a variety of reasons why a person may develop a heart attack, but the most common reason is due to the onset of coronary artery disease. 
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CAD occurs due to an increase in LDL cholesterol levels in the bloodstream<\/a>. A rise in LDL levels is the only known cause of coronary artery disease. However, there are multiple reasons for an increase in LDL levels, including lifestyle factors like a poor diet, smoking, and drinking alcohol.
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Patients who sustain a heart attack and survive may also experience the onset of nerve damage, as well as an increased risk for the emergence of peripheral neuropathy.
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It’s possible to reverse the effects of heart disease by changing your diet and your lifestyle. Quitting self-destructive habits like smoking and drinking to excess will help to reduce LDL production, and limit the effects of coronary artery disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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