Peripheral polyneuropathy
Polyneuropathy is a disease that disrupts the structure of the fine nerve fibers that make up the peripheral nerves. The distal parts of the upper and lower extremities are most severely damaged. Typical symptoms of the disease are manifested by sensations of numbness and tingling, a burning sensation, pain syndrome, sometimes night cramps are added to them.
With the further development of the disease, muscle weakness begins to progress, a picture of their gradual atrophy is observed. Symptoms of tissue nutritional disorders also make themselves felt: the skin becomes thinner, the nail plates become brittle and fragile.
The development of peripheral polyneuropathy is facilitated by various drugs belonging to the group of reverse transcriptase inhibitors - these are, first of all, drugs such as didanosine, stavudine, zalcitabine.
Such polyneuropathy is characterized by severe sensory and motor disorders of the limbs. The patient is disturbed by the feeling of numbness and pain in the distal parts of the legs and arms. Some sensory disturbances in the mouth are common with zalcitabine.
Typically, these symptoms occur after several months of drug treatment and progress over time. In most cases, we can talk about an improvement in the condition as a result of discontinuation of the drug, which occurs within 1-2 months. True, sometimes the symptoms of the disorder do not decrease, but progress, and subsequently it is not possible to get rid of them completely. Therefore, it is extremely important that the doctor diagnoses peripheral polyneuropathy in time and cancels the drug that provoked the development of the disease.
Peripheral polyneuropathy is treated with various methods. First of all, this is the elimination of pain symptoms, paracetamol and other analgesics are used for this. Acupuncture and stimulation of the affected nerve through the skin are also effective. The prescription and intake of vitamins of group B accelerates the healing process. To relieve severe pain, it is recommended not to wear tight shoes and not to be on your feet for a long time. A cool overnight shower can also help reduce pain.
An easy way to diagnose peripheral polyneuropathy early on is to test for vibration sensitivity. For this, a Reidel-Seiffer tuning fork is used. At a vibration frequency of 64 Hz, a tuning fork is placed on some protrusions of the bones (usually the phalanges of the fingers). The patient just needs to listen to his feelings and tell when he feels vibration and when not.
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With this simple method, it becomes possible to evaluate and analyze vibration sensitivity in comparison with other studies.
The causes of peripheral polyneuropathy can also be alcohol abuse, deficiency of B vitamins (mainly B1 or B12), diabetes mellitus, or taking drugs that are toxic to the nervous system.
With such a dangerous disease as diabetes mellitus, peripheral polyneuropathy occurs due to high blood sugar levels. Against the background of these high indicators, metabolic processes in peripheral nerves are disrupted, therefore, when treating polyneuropathy, first of all, one should strive to reduce these indicators to normal values.
However, in addition to the standard prescriptions, it is helpful to also add specific therapy for this disease. As such therapy, preparations containing alpha-lipoic acid are successfully used, which have a beneficial effect on the patient's body and reduce or completely eliminate many symptoms of polyneuropathy.
Alpha lipoic, or thioctic, acid is a natural lipophilic agent that neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals. The principle of this powerful antioxidant is that it blocks the process of cellular destruction as a result of oxidation - the very process that leads to significant disorders in nerve cells.
First, alpha lipoic acid activates the body's own antioxidant functions. Secondly, thanks to this remedy, the damaged membranes of nerve cells are restored, and, consequently, the functions of nerve fibers are normalized. Thirdly, thioctic acid significantly improves the blood supply of these fibers due to its accumulation in the peripheral nervous tissue.
And, finally, it has a beneficial effect directly on the nerve fibers and stimulates the growth of the processes of nerve cells, due to which, after a while, nerve conduction can be completely normalized.
It is worth mentioning that the earlier the correct diagnosis is established and the appropriate treatment is started, the faster and more efficiently it is possible to cope with this dangerous peripheral polyneuropathy, minimizing its negative consequences.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
