Neuropathy is a condition most often linked to inflammation or damage to the peripheral nerves. It can develop for many reasons, including:
- diabetes,
- autoimmune diseases,
- infections,
- vitamin deficiencies,
- mechanical injuries,
- alcoholism,
- exposure to toxins.
Neuropathies can be classified in several ways, which helps to better understand their nature and the symptoms they cause:
- by nerve involvement:
- mononeuropathies: damage to a single peripheral nerve – a common example is carpal tunnel syndrome;
- multiple mononeuropathies: Damage to several individual nerves in different areas of the body;
- polyneuropathies: widespread and usually symmetrical damage to multiple peripheral nerves, as often occurs in diabetic neuropathy;
- by duration:
- acute neuropathies: develop quickly, within a few days, with symptoms worsening over 2–3 weeks;
- subacute neuropathies: symptoms oms develop and worsen over several weeks;
- chronic neuropathies: symptoms progress over months or years and may be recurrent or hereditary.
- by cause:
- congenital neuropathies: caused by genetic factors;
- infectious neuropathies: triggered by infections;
- drug-induced neuropathies: caused by the side effects of certain medications.
- entrapment neuropathies: result from nerve compression, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome.
