Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, hereditary causes, and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes. Neuropathy occurs when nerve damage causes pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in one or more parts of the body. There are many different causes of neuropathy, one of the most common being diabetes.
Often, your symptoms can be treated after consulting with your doctor. Damage to a single peripheral nerve is called mononeuropathy. Physical injury or trauma, such as those caused by an accident, is the most common cause. Prolonged pressure on a nerve, caused by prolonged periods of sedentary lifestyle (such as sitting in a wheelchair or lying in bed), or continuous, repetitive movements, can trigger mononeuropathy.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common type of mononeuropathy. It is called overexertion injury, which occurs when the nerve that travels through the wrist is compressed. People whose work requires repeated wrist movements (such as assembly line workers, physical workers, and those who use computer keyboards for extended periods) are at greater risk. One of the most common forms of chronic polyneuropathy is diabetic neuropathy, a condition that occurs in people with diabetes.
It is more serious in people with poorly controlled blood sugar levels. Although less common, diabetes can also cause mononeuropathy. 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 study of several different forms of neuropathy and identify genes that modify the clinical characteristics of these disorders. 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.
FNF raises awareness not only about neuropathy, but also about Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and other hereditary neuropathies.
