What is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy, also called peripheral neuropathy, occurs when you suffer damage to your peripheral nerves, the nerves located outside of your brain and spinal cord. This often causes muscle weakness, numbness, and pain in your hands and feet. You may also experience complications with urination, digestion, and circulation.
When your nerve cells, called neurons, are damaged or decayed in peripheral neuropathy, your neurons cannot communicate with each other or your brain. This causes you to lose feeling in parts of your body or prevents your bodily functions from performing as they should.
What Causes Neuropathy?
Though neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries and exposure to toxins, its leading causes are diabetes and viral or bacterial infections. Autoimmune diseases, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, also increase your chance of having peripheral neuropathy.
Additional causes include:
- Inherited disorders, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- Growths or cancerous and noncancerous tumors that press on the nerves
- Bone marrow disorders, like monoclonal gammopathies, myeloma, lymphoma, and amyloidosis
- Other diseases affecting your kidneys, liver, connective tissue, and thyroid
You also increase your chance of having neuropathy if you frequently consume an excess amount of alcohol, are exposed to poisons or toxic substances, use certain medications, such as chemotherapy, or lack crucial vitamins to support nerve health.
