Polyneuropathy is a disease of several of the body’s nerves. It usually begins in the nerves of the legs and gradually leads to a worse feeling in the feet and harder to walk. Eventually, the trouble may move up the lower leg. Even if you do not get rid of the disease, the symptoms can be relieved with the right treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disease can also cause discomfort in the hands and forearms. Symptoms above knee height or elbow height are uncommon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome is an unusual form of polyneuropathy<\/strong> caused by the immune system attacking the nerves in connection with an infectious disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Polyneuropathy usually starts with the same problems on both feet.\u00a0The following symptoms are common:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can have several of the problems at once and they can spread upwards along the lower legs. You can also get trouble from your hands with numbness and stupidity when, for example, you have to push buttons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Usually, the symptoms develop slowly.\u00a0At first, you can only notice them sometimes, but over time, the hassles can become more constant. Contact a health care center if you suspect you have polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seek care directly at a health care center or on-call reception if you suddenly get numbness in your feet, especially if you are at the same time feeling weaker in the legs or arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Polyneuropathy<\/span> can sometimes be because you have been drinking a lot of alcohol for a long time and have a hard time quitting.\u00a0You can then seek help at a health care center, at the occupational health service or at a reception in the dependency care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may feel difficult to be physically active if you have polyneuropathy. It is important that you still move regularly, in order to maintain as good a function as possible in the legs and feet. Moderate exercise such as walking stimulates blood circulation and musculature and increases joint stability. Swimming and cycling are also good. Avoid heavy weight muscle training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of the circumstances that cause the disease, you can be very helpful in making changes in your daily habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that you move regularly affects your well-being. Try to find the activities you think are fun and move as much as you can in everyday life. It also helps against overweight, which can aggravate the disease. You can also get the support of a dietician if you are overweight and want to lose weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to avoid alcohol altogether, as the problems can otherwise be exacerbated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who smoke or sniff may feel better in the long run by quitting nicotine.\u00a0To help stop the tobacco, you can take any of the medicines available.\u00a0Here you can read more about quitting smoking and what support there is for those who want to quit nicotine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By taking care of your feet every day, you reduce the risk of getting bigger sores and cracks. Lubricate your feet with a softening cream to prevent sores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you come to the doctor, you first have to tell you about your complaints. Then they do a body examination which usually begins with a study of the heart, lungs, blood pressure and stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your doctor will test your sensitivity to touch, stab and vibration. The skin’s sensitivity to cold and warm is also tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The muscle reflexes are tested and the doctor also examines whether the muscles have become thinner and if there are any defects in the joints. Muscle strength is also tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The skin of the feet is examined to see if it is dry and if there are any cracks or wounds. The doctor also usually measures the pulse rate in the blood vessels on the feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will also be given blood tests. The following samples are taken:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samples for, for example,\u00a0borrelia\u00a0and\u00a0HIV\u00a0can be taken if there are suspicions that the trouble is caused by an infection.\u00a0Additional supplementary blood tests may sometimes need to be taken.\u00a0This applies, for example, to the exclusion of\u00a0celiac disease,\u00a0rheumatic disease\u00a0or hereditary forms of polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\u00a0test of the spinal fluid\u00a0may need to be taken if you soon develop symptoms of polyneuropathy<\/strong>.\u00a0The sample is called a lumbar puncture.\u00a0For example, it can show if there is an increased amount of protein, as in Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome.\u00a0It can also show if you have an infection, such as tick-borne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the symptoms are not clear, you may need to undergo further testing of the functioning of the nerves. It is done with electroneurography, also called ENG. Further testing of muscle function is done with electromyography, also called EMG. Then electrodes are placed on the skin over a nerve or inserted into the muscle to be examined. The thin nerve fibers that conduct heat and cold can be tested with a so-called quantitative sensing study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes you may also undergo other examinations such as x-rays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important that all values \u200b\u200bare as good as possible if the cause of polyneuropathy is diabetes. You may need to improve your diet and exercise more. You can get support from the healthcare staff to get you started. Sometimes the medication for the disease needs to be changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will be treated in the form of tablets or syringes if you are deficient in vitamin B12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The skin of the feet often becomes brittle if you have polyneuropathy and especially if you have diabetes. It can lead to problems with your feet. Therefore, you may need to get foot care quite often. Then hardens are ground down and you get help to keep the nails short and without sharp edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may need special inserts for the shoes to keep the load on your feet even and to avoid sores. Such posts are made at an orthopedic workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may need treatment from a physiotherapist if you have weak muscles and balance difficulties. Among other things, you get help with training the muscle groups that have weakened and advice on how to exercise on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several different types of drugs that can help if you are in pain. First, you usually get to try regular painkillers with acetaminophen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Medicines containing amitriptyline mainly used for depression may also work well against nerve pain, especially the so-called tricyclic antidepressants. These drugs are used even if you are not depressed. Drugs used in epilepsy can also have a soothing effect on nerve pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you use paracetamol properly at the right doses, it is rare to get side effects, but medicines for depression or epilepsy can have side effects.\u00a0The most common thing is that you get tired, feel ill or get dizzy.\u00a0Tell your doctor if you get any side effects that are cumbersome.\u00a0You may then need some other form of treatment for polyneuropathy<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the disease arrives quickly, you are usually hospitalized. This applies, for example, to the inflammatory nerve disease Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome. You may have trouble breathing and swallowing if you become seriously ill. Then you may need breathing help from a respirator and get nourishment directly into the bloodstream. Most people who get Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome get healthy within a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order for you to be active in your care and make decisions, it is important that you understand the information you receive.\u00a0The healthcare staff is obliged to make sure that you do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The nervous system\u00a0consists of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.\u00a0The brain and spinal cord together form the central nervous system and from them, the peripheral nerves, which consist of bundles of nerve threads, form out of the body.\u00a0The longest nerve fibers go down to the legs and are the ones that are damaged first when you get polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The part of the nervous system that can be controlled by the will is called the somatic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is called the part that cannot be affected by the will and which controls, for example, the function of the intestines, heart rhythm and sweating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have neuropathy, the damage starts at the very end of the nerve fibers and then slowly creeps into the nerve roots in the spinal cord.\u00a0Both legs are usually affected simultaneously and in the same way.\u00a0The nerve fibers start to work worse and so does the nerve fibers’ surrounding insulation, the myelin sheath.\u00a0Nerve centers in the spinal cord where information to and from the brain pass-through can also be affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the nerve fibers to the feet are damaged, the feeling becomes progressively worse.\u00a0You get harder to sweat and the muscles in the foot and calf become weaker.\u00a0The foot can change the appearance and become flatter, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, the so-called autonomic nervous system is also affected. For example, it may be more difficult for the heart to increase the rhythm when you get up after sitting or lying down and then you may have a drop in blood pressure. You may have diarrhea or constipation as well as feeling sick and vomiting if the nerves in the stomach are affected. This is especially true when you have eaten too big meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Polyneuropathy can have many different causes. In about one in four it is not possible to find out what the disease is due to. It is especially common for older people to have mild complaints of this type without finding a cause. Probably this is because the nerves can start to function worse as the body ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the known causes of polyneuropathy, diabetes is the most common. Other causes may be the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are some other more unusual causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not entirely known why diabetes causes polyneuropathy, but there are several theories as to why the nerves begin to function worse. For example, high blood sugar can lead to the formation of harmful substances around the nerves. Blood circulation can be impaired, leading to a lack of nutrients and oxygen in the nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The nerves can be damaged in several ways if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol for a long time. You may be deficient in B vitamins and other nutrients your body needs. The alcohol itself and the substances that form when the alcohol breaks down in the body can be harmful to the nerves. You can get sequelae especially in the liver which can lead to nerve damage by the formation of toxic substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you have kidney failure, your kidneys are unable to clean the blood properly and harmful substances can accumulate in the blood. It can affect the nerves so that they work worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vitamin B12 is important for the nerves to function well. You may be deficient in vitamin B12 if, for example, the stomach does not produce the substance that makes it easier for the body to absorb the vitamin. It may happen if parts of the stomach have been operated on or in the case of diseases of the stomach and intestines that cause the nutrition from the food not to be absorbed properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some infectious diseases, the nerves can be damaged by the infection and the inflammatory reaction.\u00a0Examples of such diseases are tick-borne and HIV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An autoimmune disease means that your own immune system attacks parts of the body’s own tissue.\u00a0One example is\u00a0rheumatoid arthritis.\u00a0Some inflammatory diseases can damage the nerves.\u00a0This applies, for example, to amyloidosis, which is an unusual disease.\u00a0There is a hereditary form of amyloidosis called Skellefte\u00e5 disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cancer diseases can sometimes damage the nerves by causing the tumor to press on the nerves or grow into them. The diseases can also cause the immune system to react in a way that damages the nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some drugs may cause polyneuropathy, but this is unusual.\u00a0For example, there may be cytostatic drugs used for cancer or certain antibiotics.\u00a0The symptoms of polyneuropathy<\/em> usually tend to be closely related to drug treatment for polyneuropathy<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heavy metals and solvents can damage the nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Polyneuropathy can be hereditary.\u00a0Then the problems usually start already in toddler age or in teens, but they can also start later in life.\u00a0There are several forms of hereditary polyneuropathy<\/em> and one example is the so-called Skellefte\u00e5 disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome is an unusual form of polyneuropathy caused by the immune system attacking the nerves in connection with an infectious disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome often comes quickly and has a faster course than other forms of polyneuropathy.\u00a0The symptoms develop and worsen over a few days to a few weeks.\u00a0You get the worse feeling and weaker muscles.\u00a0The trouble starts in the legs and goes upwards in the body.\u00a0You may have difficulty breathing and swallowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The disease can be life-threatening and requires hospital care. Most people who get Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome get well within a few months, but a few die from the disease. The disease often heals by itself but the course can be shortened by high doses of immunoglobulin in the blood or blood purification, so-called plasmapheresis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diseases affecting the spinal cord such as tumors, hernias or multiple sclerosis, MS, can cause similar symptoms as some forms of polyneuropathy, such as Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome. But it is then common to have other symptoms that do not correspond to polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myasthenia gravis is an uncommon disease that weakens the body’s muscles.\u00a0Sometimes the symptoms can be similar to those experienced in polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Polyneuropathy is a disease of several of the body’s nerves. It usually begins in the nerves of the legs and gradually leads to a worse feeling in the feet and harder to walk. Eventually, the trouble may move up the lower leg. Even if you do not get rid of the disease, the symptoms can be relieved with the right treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51,142],"tags":[207],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brain-and-nerves","category-nerves","tag-polyneuropathy-a-disease-of-several-nerves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3664,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions\/3664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Symptoms of polyneuropathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Slow development<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When the skin on your feet becomes dry, you get lighter cracks.\u00a0Because the feeling is impaired, you do not feel, for example, a shoe scab, and this makes it easier for you to get wounded.\u00a0When the nerves do not work as they should, the ability for wounds to heal is also affected.
When you get polyneuropathy, it can feel painful to move or exercise.\u00a0Moving less makes your muscles weaker.\u00a0You may find it difficult to walk upstairs and to sit or get up from a chair.\u00a0Eventually, you may find it harder to walk and to keep balance.
It is unusual for symptoms to develop rapidly, but they do occur.\u00a0Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome often comes quickly and has a faster course than other forms of polyneuropathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen and where should I seek care?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What can I do for myself?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Investigations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Test of<\/strong> feeling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Examination of skeletons, joints, muscles, and skin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Blood sample<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back Fluid Sample<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other investigations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Treatment for Polyneuropathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Foot care may be needed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Physical therapy can strengthen the muscles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Medication if you are in pain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Side effects of drugs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you get seriously ill<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Right to information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What happens in the body?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The nervous system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Begins at the end of the nerve fibers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Provides various inconveniences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Can have<\/strong> many causes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Diabetes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Alcohol<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Kidney failure<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Lack of vitamin B12<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
infectious diseases<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Cancer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Drug<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Poison Effect<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Can be hereditary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Guillain-Barr\u00e9 syndrome – an unusual form of polyneuropathy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other diseases can cause the same symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n