There are two primary causes of peripheral neuropathy. The first is that you can inherit the disorder from your family. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyloid polyneuropathy are two examples. Second, the disorder can be acquired from injury (including injury from repetitive stress), disease, or infection. In these cases, the disease or trauma does damage to your nerves, causing the disorder. Alcoholism, exposure to toxins, and vitamin deficiency can also be causes.
This content originally appeared on doctoroz.com
Peripheral neuropathy, which affects the peripheral nervous system, is the most common form of neuropathy among cancer survivors. Damage may lead to changes in sensation or muscle function and can be mild or severe. This condition may be experienced as tingling or numbness in certain areas of the body, commonly the hands and feet. These sensations can range from mild to painful.
Some causes of peripheral neuropathy may include:
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)
- Infections such as leprosy, syphilis, HIV, and some forms of hepatitis
- Nutritional deficiency, particularly of thiamine
- Inherited disorders of metabolism and other diseases passed down through families
- Alcohol
- Pesticides
- Drugs used in cancer treatment, particularly the platinum compounds, the taxanes, the vinca alkaloids, velcade, and thalidomide
- Hypothyroidism
- Renal failure
- Extreme stress including the stress of living with a chronic illness
- Radiation therapy (effects may be delayed for many years)
- Some cancer tumors
Other causes include excessive alcohol consumption over a prolonged period, dietary deficiencies (caused by poor absorption of B vitamins), physical trauma, prolonged compression, vascular problems such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and immune system disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus.
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