There is a 6% to 51% prevalence rate of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic adults. When you consume a lot of alcohol, the nerves become even more vulnerable to damage. To prevent any additional nerve damage, drinkers must abstain from alcohol.
- Diagnosis usually involves a healthcare provider collecting a medical history, performing a medical and neurological exam, and performing blood and urine tests.
- Among people 45 and older, that percentage rises to between 5% and 7%.
- While it can happen because of infectious diseases, this condition doesn’t spread from person to person on its own.
A doctor may also want to test the functioning of the kidneys, liver, and thyroid. In addition, they may order blood tests to check for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. Some researchers estimate that 65 percent of people in the United States who have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder also have alcoholic neuropathy. Once alcohol use has been addressed, your doctor can focus on the neuropathy itself.
How Does Alcoholic Neuropathy Feel?
Behse & Buchthal [31] compared 37 Danish patients with alcoholic neuropathy with six patients with nonalcoholic post gastrectomy polyneuropathy. The authors noted that Danish beer at the time of the study contained thiamine and vitamin B6. Thus, deficiency of these vitamins was felt to be unlikely in Danish beer drinkers at that time and, indeed, measured vitamin concentrations were mostly normal. Clinical features of neuropathies alcoholic neuropathy recovery time in the alcoholic and post gastrectomy patients were similar. These two groups, however, were distinct from the standpoint that nerve conduction velocities were slower and sural nerve biopsy specimens revealed more segmental demyelination in the post gastrectomy group. Alcoholic neuropathy, also known as alcoholic peripheral neuropathy, refers to damage of the nerves due to chronic and excessive alcohol consumption.
Spinal cord glial cells are implicated in the exaggerated pain state created by diverse manipulations such as subcutaneous inflammation, neuropathy and spinal immune activation [65, 66]. It has been recognized that spinal cord glial cells, astrocytes and microglia are activated by neuropathic pain or peripheral inflammation [42]. One of the other important issues in alcoholic individuals is the source of their calorie intake.
Diagnosing Alcoholic Neuropathy
We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for support, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit. Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile. For most, a combination of different treatments is the best way to combat neuropathic pain. Your neurologist can help figure out a treatment path that’s both effective and doable for you. The patient also needs to find a way to manage the loss of sensation and prevent the injuries from it.
