How Are Small Fiber Neuropathy and Celiac Disease Connected?
There have been recent findings that small fiber neuropathy may be linked somehow to Celiac disease. This type of neuropathy is a variant of peripheral neuropathy where in the body’s nerves become damaged. Small fiber, specifically, often causes patients to feel burning, stinging and even electric shock sensations in the various parts of the body. Recent studies show that a percent of those who have this kind of nerve disorder are also suffering from Celiac disease.
Celiac disease is a sickness where the small intestine stops functioning properly and halts in absorbing the necessary nutrients from food taken in. It is often caused from an allergy which results of the gluten found in bread or other foods. Basically, this causes the digestive organ to slowly deteriorate over time. As mentioned, recent researchers have found out that if this is untreated, it may develop complications such as peripheral neuropathy, specifically small fiber.
Oftentimes it is said that there are other diseases that are connected to neuropathy such as HIV or even Diabetes. However, information regarding this and the small intestine is new. It’s implying that the sickness may actually cause nerve damage. About 16% of the digestive disorder patients have been included in the percentage of those who have the nerve condition. There is no specific age for these people since most who have been tested are either children or adults.
What Else Do We Need To Know About The Link Of Celiac Disease And Small Fiber Neuropathy?
Most of the time, to combat the spread of small fiber neuropathy, doctors often give pain killers to their patients. Nonetheless, those mentioned sicknesses are thought of to cause, even worsen, these nerve injuries. Hence, these medicines will most probably be ineffective in the long run. Proper care and diagnosis are definitely required by the patients. It is often assumed that if the Celiac disease is treated well, then the appearance of small fiber neuropathy would obviously lessen.
At the moment, experiments have been conducted where in Celiac patients are given gluten-free diet. A number of them have successfully improved from neuropathy. Others have not received many changes. Further observation and evaluations is needed to be done to be able to gather more information regarding the association of Celiac disease and small fiber neuropathy.