Neuropathy is a medical term for damage caused in peripheral nerves. Almost 30% cases of neuropathy can be attributed to diabetes. The balance 70% can be an aftermath of nerve injury, poor nutrition, specific health conditions and infections. Neuropathy will not be restricted to nerves alone. Often, the latent damage will percolate to the muscles, joints, bones and even certain organs in extreme cases. Recognisable non diabetic neuropathy symptoms can be many and they will largely depend on the part of the body that has been affected. A list of common symptoms, however, can always be arrived at.
Non Diabetic Neuropathy Symptoms
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- Neuropathy is characterised by weakness in the muscles of the hands, the arms, feet and legs. This can make gripping things difficult. Patients might also find it difficult to hold on to items for long. This is specific for those neuropathies that affect the upper half of the body.
- Neuropathies that affect the lower part of the body can cause problems in walking and maintaining body balance. There can be a loss of sensation in the bottom of the feet. In such cases, walking will be even more difficult because the patient will not feel anything when the feet touch the ground. Losing sensation in the hands will also be a common affair.
- Nerve damage can also result in pain and other related discomforts. Damage or compression of nerves will lead to tingling or painful sensation in various parts of the body and will also be coupled with numbness. Pain may be felt in the form of burning, aching, stabbing etc. Most often, the pain is associated with movements.
- Surprisingly, non diabetic neuropathy symptoms can be those that aren’t directly associated with nerves. For example, there can be specific gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, incontinence, problems in bowel and bladder movements etc.
- Often, non diabetic neuropathy symptoms will be associated with irregular heart beat and associated cardiovascular complications. When the nervous system gets disrupted, the ability of the nervous system to transfer signals can bring about sudden changes in the blood pressure levels. This would eventually lead to abnormal heart rates.
Non diabetic neuropathy symptoms must always be managed with specific care. Timely monitoring will be warranted for effective management of the illness. Depending on the intensity, neuropathy can compromise one’s quality of life to a large extent.
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