How Is Peripheral Neuropathy Diagnosed
The bewildering array and variability of symptoms that neuropathies can cause often makes diagnosis difficult. A diagnosis of neuropathy typically includes:
- Medical history. A doctor will ask questions about symptoms and any triggers or relieving factors throughout the day, work environment, social habits, exposure to toxins, alcohol use, risk of infectious diseases, and family history of neurological diseases.
- Physical and neurological exams. A doctor will look for any evidence of body-wide diseases that can cause nerve damage, such as diabetes. A neurological exam includes tests that may identify the cause of the neuropathic disorder as well as the extent and type of nerve damage.
- Body fluid tests. Various blood tests can detect diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, liver or kidney dysfunction, other metabolic disorders, infections and signs of abnormal immune system activity. Less often other body fluids are tested for abnormal proteins or the abnormal presence of immune cells or proteins associated with some immune-mediated neuropathies.
- Genetic tests. Gene tests are available for some inherited neuropathies.
Additional tests may be ordered to help determine the nature and extent of the neuropathy.
Physiologic tests of nerve function
Neuropathology tests of nerve appearance
Autonomic testing
Radiology imaging tests
Protective Roles Of Neurotrophic Factors In The Ens
Recent evidence indicates that neurotrophic factors may have protective roles in the ENS during maturity and in aging. Effects of neurotrophic factors in model systems in which enteric neuronal damage was induced either by hyperglycemia or by reactive oxygen species have been investigated.
Enteric neuropathy is a well-documented complication of diabetes, and loss of enteric neurons has been demonstrated in humans and in animal models. The causes of enteric nerve damage in diabetes have not been established, although hyperglycemia is likely to be involved. In recent work, the effects of elevated glucose levels on cultured fetal enteric neurons were examined. Glucose produced a dose-dependent increase in apoptosis in these cultures, an effect that was significantly reduced in the presence of GDNF. Importantly, in vivo, overexpression of GDNF also protected against apoptosis, specific neuronal loss, and motility changes seen in streptozotocin-induced diabetic transgenic mice.
Andrew Mckeon, Eduardo E. Benarroch, in, 2016
What Are The Symptoms Of Autonomic Neuropathy
AN can affect many organs and cause an array of symptoms. Early symptoms of AN include dizziness or faintness when rising or standing, and vomiting or feeling nauseated when eating. You may also have disturbances in bowel movements, bladder control, or sexual functioning.
Other symptoms may affect the functioning of specific organs and organ systems:
Don’t Miss: How To Reduce Stomach Fat
How Quickly Does Neuropathy Develop
Some peripheral neuropathies develop slowly over months to years while others develop more rapidly and continue to get worse. There are over 100 types of neuropathies and each type can develop differently. The way your condition progresses and how quickly your symptoms start can vary greatly depending on the type of nerve or nerves damaged, and the underlying cause of the condition.
There are many causes of neuropathy. Diabetes is the number one cause in the United States. Other common causes include trauma, chemotherapy, alcoholism and autoimmune diseases.
Effect On Other Parts Of The Body
Neuropathy can affect various other parts of the body as well. For instance, some people start to develop blood pressure problems because their body can no longer regulate blood pressure properly. This then results in a compromised sense of balance. People with this condition frequently feel faint and lightheaded.
The Stomach
Meanwhile, their stomach can also be affected in a variety of different ways. Peripheral neuropathy can also affect the digestive system and the intestines. This can lead to frequent diarrhea and loose stools, with possible dehydration. On the other hand, some may experience constipation.
Digestive System
Meanwhile, the digestive tract and throat can swell, and they can become numb as well. This can make it difficult to eat properly or to swallow food. In the worst case scenario, this can be life-threatening. While this is incredibly rare, it is still important that you are aware of this potential situation, so that you can avoid it before it gets too late.
The Heart
Some people also experience irregular heartbeat, or they may have panic attacks and find it difficult to breathe. While it may be a simple panic attic, it can also be a symptom of neuropathy. It is best to never take any chances and to seek medical advice immediately. If you are wondering how bad peripheral neuropathy can get, the real answer is that it can get very bad indeed. In fact, it can be lethal.
You May Like: How To Burn Stomach And Back Fat
Worst Case Scenario For Peripheral Neuropathy
The thing about neuropathy is that the pain can become worse day after day due to improper nutrition, lack of exercise, heavy medication, illness, disease, and high blood sugar level.
We have already explored all the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
Now, if we talk about the worst case scenario then theres a possibility that you might lose feeling in your hands and feet completely, leading to paralysis.
Keep in mind that we are talking about the worst case scenario. This happens usually when whatever illness you are going through persists for a long time. The good news is that even if your peripheral neuropathy reaches to a point where the nerve pain is unbearable, you can still make changes in your lifestyle to bring the pain level down.
However, some of the nerve damage will remain and theres no knowing how your muscles will respond after therapy. This stands true particularly for people who struggle to maintain a healthy diet, alcoholics, and diabetics.
Digestive Issues Due To Autonomic Nerve Damage In Neuropathy
Damage to autonomic nerves can affect your digestion. Gastroparesis is a form of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in which the stomach takes too long to empty, resulting in heartburn, nausea, vomiting of undigested food, an early feeling of fullness when eating, weight loss, abdominal bloating, erratic blood sugar levels, lack of appetite, and stomach spasms. The best treatment for it is to manage your blood glucose levels to minimize damage, keeping in mind that the condition makes that more challenging. If you are managing diabetes, you may have to take insulin more often or check your glucose levels more often to keep up.
You May Like: Does Your Stomach Hurt If You Are Pregnant
How Is Autonomic Neuropathy Diagnosed
See your doctor if you have symptoms of AN. Early diagnosis may improve your outlook.
Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on your risk factors, observations during a physical examination, and test results. Your doctor may conduct the following tests:
- breathing tests to evaluate blood pressure and heart rate
- gastric emptying tests to assess your gastric motility and muscle activity
- a quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test to assess nerve reactions associated with the sweat glands
- a blood pressure test when standing and sitting
- a tilt-table test to monitor blood pressure during posture changes
- a thermoregulatory test to look at your sweat patterns during temperature changes
- urine tests to assess your bladder functioning
- a bladder ultrasound to examine your bladder structure
- abdominal X-rays to examine your digestive tract
Treatments for AN target the damaged nerves and any underlying condition causing injury to the nerves. Different treatments are available depending on your symptoms.
Digestive and gastrointestinal treatments include:
- taking prescription medications to help with digestion
- taking laxatives for constipation
- increasing your fiber and fluid intake
- taking tricyclic antidepressants for stomach pain or loose stools
Bladder and urinary treatments include:
Sexual dysfunction treatments include:
- taking medication to help bring about an erection
- using a vacuum pump to force blood into the penis to cause an erection
- using vaginal lubricants to combat dryness
What Are The Symptoms Of Peripheral Nerve Damage
Symptoms are related to the type of nerves affected.
Motor nerve damage is most commonly associated with muscle weakness. Other symptoms include painful cramps, fasciculations and muscle shrinking.
Sensory nerve damage causes various symptoms because sensory nerves have a broad range of functions.
- Damage to large sensory fibers harms the ability to feel vibrations and touch, especially in the hands and feet. You may feel as if you are wearing gloves and stockings even when you are not. This damage may contribute to the loss of reflexes . Loss of position sense often makes people unable to coordinate complex movements like walking or fastening buttons or maintaining their balance when their eyes are shut.
- The small fibers without myelin sheaths include fiber extensions called axons that transmit pain and temperature sensations. Small-fiber polyneuropathy can interfere with the ability to feel pain or changes in temperature. It is often difficult for medical caregivers to control, which can seriously affect a patients emotional well-being and overall quality of life. Neuropathic pain is sometimes worse at night, disrupting sleep. It can be caused by pain receptors firing spontaneously without any known trigger, or by difficulties with signal processing in the spinal cord that may cause you to feel severe pain from a light touch that is normally painless. For example, you might experience pain from the touch of your bedsheets, even when draped lightly over the body.
You May Like: What Helps Severe Stomach Pain
How Bad Can Peripheral Neuropathy Get
Peripheral neuropathy is the type of damage and restrictions that occur to ones nervous system at the peripheries of the body. Your bodys heart and lungs work together with your central nervous system to power a very strong and sensitive set of nerves. This of course is centered in both the brain and the spinal cord, where most of the bodys nerves end up receiving their signals. Sadly, through improper nutrition, exercise, and blood sugar levels, this sophisticated nerve network can break down. How bad can it get? Well, in short, you can lose feeling in your hands and feet, and possibly even have paralysis. Some people have problems with their kidneys, or are experiencing side effects from chemotherapy.
However, the biggest factors are as stated above diet and exercise. Some of the worst cases involve people who havent been able to control their intake of alcoholic beverages. It might not even need to be said, but if you want to be healthy, you shouldnt drink alcohol in excess. As peripheral neuropathy gets worse in the body, symptoms begin to multiply and get worse. At first, peripheral neuropathy starts out small just these tingling sensations in the feet or possibly in the hands. As always, symptoms can vary depending on what the underlying cause of the neuropathy is. Once it starts occurring, its imperative that you try and halt the process through eating well and exercising.
Preparing For An Appointment
First, you’ll probably see your primary care physician. If you have diabetes, you might see your diabetes specialist . However, you might be referred to a specialist in nerve disorders .
You might see other specialists, depending on the part of your body affected by neuropathy, such as a cardiologist for blood pressure or heart rate problems or a gastroenterologist for digestive difficulties.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for your appointment.
You May Like: What Causes Upset Stomach And Nausea
Iienteric Nervous System Disorders: Descriptions And Clinical Treatments
The complexity of the ENS make it vulnerable to a variety of diseases that reduce neuronal presence and/or functionality. Diseases that affect the ENS include congenital diseases such as Hirschsprungs disease, which is associated with incomplete ENS colonization due to mutations in genes coding for essential proteins involved in neural development, and complications due to other diseases, such as diabetic gastroparesis, which is most commonly linked to the specific subsets of enteric neurons . Furthermore, enteric neurodegeneration can arise as a result of conditions such as inflammation, aging, diabetes, and reactive oxygen species, but has been largely overlooked due to the wide array of morbidities associated with these conditions. Unfortunately, current treatments for enteric neurodegeneration that affect the ENS are ineffective, given that none restore ENS functioning. Instead, treatments for ENS disorders only control symptoms or restore nutrition to patients providing only palliative and not curative relief, which could be possible with regenerative medicine .
Enteric Neuropathies
Disorders Affecting Specific Neural Subsets
Daniel P. Poole, John B. Furness, in, 2012
Slowing Progression Of The Disease
Consistently keeping your blood sugar within your target range is the key to preventing or delaying nerve damage. Good blood sugar management may even improve some of your current symptoms. Your doctor will figure out the best target range for you based on factors including your age, how long you’ve had diabetes and your overall health.
Blood sugar levels may need to be individualized. But, in general, the American Diabetes Association recommends the following target blood sugar levels for most people with diabetes:
- Between 80 and 130 mg/dL, which is 4.4 and 7.2 millimoles per liter before meals
- Less than 180 mg/dL two hours after meals
Mayo Clinic encourages slightly lower blood sugar levels for most younger people with diabetes, and slightly higher levels for older people who may be more at risk of low blood sugar complications. Mayo Clinic generally recommends the following target blood sugar levels before meals:
- Between 80 and 120 mg/dL for people age 59 and younger who have no other medical conditions
- Between 100 and 140 mg/dL for people age 60 and older, or for those who have other medical conditions, including heart, lung or kidney disease
Other important ways to help slow or prevent neuropathy from getting worse include keeping your blood pressure under control, maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Bacteria In Your Stomach
What Are The Causes Of Peripheral Neuropathy
Most instances of neuropathy are either acquired, meaning the neuropathy or the inevitability of getting it isnt present from the beginning of life, or genetic. Acquired neuropathies are either symptomatic or idiopathic .
Causes of symptomatic acquired peripheral neuropathy include:
Genetically-caused polyneuropathies are rare. Genetic mutations can either be inherited or arise de novo, meaning they are completely new mutations to an individual and are not present in either parent. Some genetic mutations lead to mild neuropathies with symptoms that begin in early adulthood and result in little, if any, significant impairment. More severe hereditary neuropathies often appear in infancy or childhood. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders.
The small-fiber neuropathies that present with pain, itch, and autonomic symptoms also can be genetic. As our understanding of genetic disorders increases, many new genes are being associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Sign #: Stomach Issues
Stomach issues can be a sign of autonomic neuropathy, a condition where the nerves that work with your organs are damaged. Digestion, bowel movements, and urination can be impacted. You may notice bloating, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, lack of appetite, and increased feelings of fullness.
You May Like: What Causes Pain In The Lower Part Of Your Stomach
What Treatments Are Available
Treatments depend entirely on the type of nerve damage, symptoms, and location. Your doctor will explain how nerve damage is causing specific symptoms and how to minimize and manage them. With proper education, some people may be able to reduce their medication dose or manage their neuropathy without medications. Definitive treatment can permit functional recovery over time, as long as the nerve cell itself has not died.
Addressing neuropathys causes. Correcting underlying causes can result in the neuropathy resolving on its own as the nerves recover or regenerate. Nerve health and resistance can be improved by healthy lifestyle habits such as maintaining optimal weight, avoiding toxic exposures, eating a balanced diet, and correcting vitamin deficiencies. Smoking cessation is particularly important because smoking constricts the blood vessels that supply nutrients to the peripheral nerves and can worsen neuropathic symptoms. Exercise can deliver more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to far-off nerve endings, improve muscle strength, and limit muscle atrophy. Self-care skills in people with diabetes and others who have an impaired ability to feel pain can alleviate symptoms and often create conditions that encourage nerve regeneration. Strict control of blood glucose levels has been shown to reduce neuropathic symptoms and help people with diabetic neuropathy avoid further nerve damage.
Specific symptoms can usually be improved
Electrical Stimulation And Eps
Electrical stimulation and EPs were done in 14 of 15 patients. Overall hyposensitivity to electrical rectosigmoid stimulation was seen in patients in comparison with healthy volunteers .
Altered brain activation is displayed in diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy and gastrointestinal symptoms. Top left: Negative association between physical health score and altered insular activity after electrical stimulation of the rectosigmoid assessed as the Euclidian dipole shift. This means that increased caudoanterior insular reorganization was associated with inferior physical health experience. Bottom left: Positive association between reorganized insular activity and nausea. Top right: Positive association between physical health score and the altered cingulate activity assessed as the Euclidian dipole shift. This means that increased anterior cingulate activity was associated with better physical health. Bottom right: Negative correlation between reorganized cingulate activity and postprandial fullness, meaning that the more anteriorly the cingulate activity is reorganized, the less complaints of postprandial fullness.
Read Also: What To Drink For Flat Stomach
What Foods Trigger Neuropathy
Neuropathy from diabetes will worsen with certain foods and drinks that cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Triggers include excessively salty food, too, not just sugary goods. When in doubt, fruit and vegetables will never let you down and can be an excellent way to fill your plate.
If youre suffering from neuropathy due to type 1 or type 2 diabetes, theres a chance you are already relatively mindful of your diet. Below is a list of the top six foods and drinks that you should avoid if you suffer from peripheral neuropathy.