Find Out all You Need to Know About Small Fiber Neuropathy
Most people know that neuropathy is an illness that affects the nervous system, causing disorder in one’s motor, sensory and autonomous functions. But what is small fiber neuropathy? And what are its symptoms and causes?
First of all, small fibers are nerves found near the surface of our skin, allowing us to feel sensations such as heat or cold. Small fiber neuropathy has to do with the malfunctioning of these nerves, causing either extreme sensitivity or loss of sensation.
People who suffer from small fiber neuropathy have described its symptoms as either extremely painful
(stabbing feeling, “electric shock”, the feeling of walking on glass) or almost unnoticeable (tingling, numbness, cramps, weakness of the limbs). Others feel nothing at all, often sustaining wounds or injuries without noticing it.
See How You Can Deal With Small Fiber Neuropathy
Small fiber neuropathy has been linked to alcoholism and diabetes, but most of the time the causes are idiopathic (unknown). To make matters worse, this sickness is hard to diagnose. It is usually diagnosed by process of elimination – the doctors test all if a certain case is negative for all the other types of neuropathy before singling out small fiber neuropathy.
Unfortunately, there is currently still no known cure for small fiber neuropathy. For cases that are caused by diabetes or alcoholism, the causes themselves are treated in order to minimize the effects. For cases that are idiopathic, only the symptoms are usually treated. Treatments called Intravenous Immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis are also used for small fiber neuropathy but the risk of developing complications from these treatments are high.
Learn how to detect and fight small fiber neuropathy at its earliest stages.