Alcoholic Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Nerve damage from chronic alcohol consumption can develop over several years. Because the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy can be similar to those of other conditions, your doctor may alcoholism first rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. The damage from alcohol neuropathy can affect the nerves that control movement, senses, and organ function. This can result in a variety of symptoms that affect different areas of the body. However, this seemingly innocuous sensation may be an early warning sign of a condition known as alcoholic neuropathy, a lesser-known but significant consequence of long-term alcohol use. How does alcohol cause neuropathy, and how do you know if your neuropathy is caused by alcohol?

Sensory symptoms

A person should speak with a doctor if they are experiencing any symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy or if they are concerned about their alcohol use. Individuals with alcoholic neuropathy can make a partial or full recovery, depending on the extent and duration of their alcohol consumption. A systematic review suggests that 46.3% of people who engage in chronic heavy alcohol use have alcoholic neuropathy.

Benfotiamine for the treatment of alcohol related peripheral neuropathy

Professional and peer help through programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or other substance abuse programs can help you reduce your alcohol consumption. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment plan to start on your road to recovery. The primary axonal damage and secondary demyelination of motor and sensory fibres (especially small diameter fibres) are considered to constitute the morphologic basis of alcoholic damage to nerve tissue at present 20. The demyelination is explained as alcoholic neuropathy symptoms the result of a slowing down (decceleration) of axoplasmic flow and a degradation of the quality of biological properties of axonal enzymes and proteins. This type of degeneration, so called ‘dying-back’, resembles Wallerian degeneration. Ethanol and its toxic degradation metabolites affect neuronal metabolism including the metabolic pathways of nucleus, lysosomes, peroxisomes, endoplasmatic reticulum and cytoplasm 21.

What are treatments for alcoholic neuropathy?

When significantly limiting or stopping alcohol consumption, receiving ongoing support is essential. Thus, there is a need to screen acetyl-L-carnitine in both preclinical and clinical models of alcoholic neuropathy. Thus, it is clear that all the above pathways are potential targets for novel pharmacological agents for the treatment of alcoholic neuropathy. Having a healthcare professional come to your house to assist with your needs can relieve a lot of added stress on you to keep track of your treatment plan alone. Even though alcoholic neuropathy may not go away, there are things you can do to cope with this condition. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for alcohol-related neuropathy.

• Early diagnosis and treatment can help increase your chances of fully recovering.
• Densities of small myelinated fibres and unmyelinated fibres were more severely reduced than the density of large myelinated fibres, except in patients with a long history of neuropathic symptoms and marked axonal sprouting 2.
• Superficial sensation, especially nociception, was predominantly impaired and painful symptoms were the primary complaint in most patients in this group.
• Other vitamin deficiencies seen with alcohol abuse include but are not limited to, B vitamins, folic acid, and vitamin E.
• Glutamate concentrations are elevated in the superficial dorsal horn of rats after chronic ligature of the sciatic nerve 79.

Thus, there is an urgent need to screen the vitamin E isoforms, especially tocotrienol for evaluating clinical efficacy in patients with alcoholic neuropathy. Thus, alpha-lipoic acid may have a potential in the treatment of patients with alcoholic neuropathy. The first step in treating alcoholic neuropathy is abstaining from alcohol, sometimes through rehab. Abstinence can prevent the progression and recurrence of neuropathy and, after a few months, improve symptoms in some people.

• However, this seemingly innocuous sensation may be an early warning sign of a condition known as alcoholic neuropathy, a lesser-known but significant consequence of long-term alcohol use.
• Alcoholic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that affects heavy alcohol drinkers.
• The treatment rests on abstinence from alcohol and the replacement of key nutrients.

• Your healthcare team will also take strides to reduce the risk of injury.
• Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of protein kinases consisting of approximately 10 isozymes.
• If the sensation is decreased enough, you may feel actual numbness after drinking alcohol.
• Alcohol-related neuropathy is characterized by damage to the peripheral nerves, which transmit signals between the body, spinal cord, and brain.
• Patients with multisystem damage as a result of alcohol consumption often die of cardiac or liver failure.
• Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic acid proteases, are a family of cysteine proteases, which play an essential role in apoptosis (programmed cell death), necrosis and inflammation.

Motor nerves are the nerves responsible for all voluntary skeletal and somatic movement such as moving the leg or arm. Seeking help for addiction may seem daunting and possibly even scary, but there are several organizations that can provide support. As axons break down, the nerve fibers become less dense and cannot function properly.

How to Prevent Alcoholic Neuropathy

It’s important to share any history of alcohol use with https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the doctor to receive an accurate diagnosis. If you or a loved one is struggling with these conditions, it is vital to seek help and support to overcome the challenges. The Recovery Village Columbus offers comprehensive, evidence-based treatment programs to meet your needs and facilitate your healing journey.

Heavy drinkers may experience several health scares, not short of liver failure and severe health implications like ALN. In many cases, chronic drinkers are unable to store and use various vitamins and minerals, so a blood test may be used to see if you’re deficient in certain areas. Keep moving forward, one day at a time, and appreciate the hard work you put in along the way. She has over a decade of direct patient care experience working as a registered nurse specializing in neurotrauma, stroke, and the emergency room. Especially if you have been drinking heavily for many years, coping with alcohol use disorder is not easy.

What causes alcohol-related neurologic disease?

Thus, these vitamin deficiencies were not considered to be major causal factors of neuropathy 26. A medical detox program followed by a comprehensive alcohol rehab program can manage alcoholism and help a person to get sober and stay that way. Many alcohol rehab programs help to manage co-occurring disorders, such as alcoholic polyneuropathy.