Small fiber neuropathy is very hard to diagnose. Like most types of neuropathies, its presence in the body can more often be detected only by the symptoms the patient exhibits. What’s more frustrating, most of the time, even doctors don’t know how the patient developed small fiber neuropathy, and they could only offer a few possibilities.
The hardest thing about diagnosing small fiber neuropathy is that the symptoms exhibited by patients can be the result of other causes. The pain most people describe as an icepick-like pricks felt at their feet or bones may be a result of arthritis. Unfortunately, this disease can be diagnosed only by ruling out everything else.
Symptoms of small fiber neuropathy that help doctors determine its existence are:
* a drop in blood pressure
* trouble urinating
* male impotence or vaginal dryness
* constipation or abdominal bloating
* nausea or feeling full even when little is eaten
* cardiovascular problems
* heat intolerance and abnormal sweating
* sluggish reaction of pupils to dark and light
* intolerance for exercise
No current treatment is known to cure small fiber neuropathy, and most of the time, the treatments given are only to address the symptoms.
