May make it difficult to perform fine motor tasks with your hands, such as buttoning a shirt, lifting small objects, and may cause problems with balance or walking. For people whose symptoms continue after treatment is complete, they usually get better or go away within 6 to 12 months. Peripheral nerves have a great healing capacity. Although it may take months, a recovery can occur.
However, in some situations, the symptoms of neuropathy may decrease but not go away completely. For example, nerve injury caused by radiation often does not recover well. Neuropathy caused by chemotherapy is also difficult to cure, and recovery can take from 18 months to 5 years or more. During recovery from platinum-induced neuropathy, patients may suffer from increased symptoms.
These symptoms may begin during or after cancer treatment. They tend to get worse over time and may persist for a year or more after treatment is completed. For many patients, damaged nerves eventually heal and symptoms disappear. However, for others, nerve damage and symptoms may be permanent, 1.Neuropathy rarely leads to death if the cause is determined and controlled.
The sooner the diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the greater the chance that nerve damage will be delayed or repaired. Recovery, if possible, usually takes a long time, from months to years. Some people live with some degree of neuropathy for the rest of their lives. What is peripheral neuropathy? How are peripheral neuropathies classified? What are the symptoms of peripheral nerve damage? What are the causes of peripheral neuropathy? How is peripheral neuropathy diagnosed? What treatments are available? How can I prevent neuropathy? What research is being done? Where can I get more information? If your doctor suspects that you may have a form of peripheral neuropathy, he or she may refer you to a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in nerve diseases.
The neurologist (or your own doctor) will start by taking a history of your symptoms and examining you for signs of muscle weakness, numbness, and altered reflexes. You may need blood and urine tests to check for diabetes, vitamin or metabolic deficiencies, and the presence of any underlying disease or genetic defect that may be affecting nerve function. You'll also need to take a serious look at your alcohol use and the medications you're taking. Peripheral neuropathy may affect only one nerve, two or more nerves in different areas of the body.
NINDS-funded research ranges from clinical studies of the genetics and natural history of hereditary neuropathies to discoveries of new causes and treatments for neuropathy, to basic scientific research on the biological mechanisms responsible for chronic neuropathic pain. The treatment of any neuropathic pain, regardless of the category it comes from or the type of neuropathy that is notoriously difficult to treat, with an approximation of only half of the patients suffering worldwide, can obtain partial pain relief from treatment. The Inherited Neuropathies Consortium (INC), a group of academic medical centers, patient support organizations, and clinical research resources dedicated to conducting clinical research on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and improving care for people with the disease, seeks to better characterize the natural background of several different forms of neuropathy and identify genes that modify the clinical characteristics of these disorders. .
