Peripheral neuropathy is a condition when there is damage to your peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerve disorders cause various symptoms that are quite disturbing. For example, numbness, tingling, to feel weak and weak muscles throughout the day.
So that you can reduce your risk of peripheral nerve problems, identify what causes the damage and how to keep your peripheral nerves healthy.
Causes of neuropathy (peripheral nerve damage)
There are many things that can increase your risk of developing peripheral nerve damage. As reported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website, injuries, diabetes, kidney problems, to autoimmune diseases can make you more susceptible to this one condition.
So, are you at risk for neuropathy? Let’s check what the risk factors are below.
1. Diabetes
Peripheral nerve damage is a chronic complication of diabetes. Almost half of people with diabetes experience this problem.
High levels of sugar in the body cause nerve damage, causing several symptoms such as tingling, numbness, and pain. So, those of you who have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes are more likely to experience neuropathy.
2. Injuries and trauma
Injuries from driving accidents or falling during sports can stretch, compress, or damage nerve cells. In addition, complications from fractures can also put pressure on the nerves, causing various symptoms associated with peripheral nerve damage.
Therefore, people with high-risk professions such as athletes and drivers are more at risk of peripheral nerve damage.
3. Vitamin B deficiency
Not only injury, a deficiency of B vitamins, especially B1, B6, and B12, is one of the causes of peripheral nerve damage.
B1, B6, and B12 are vitamins that play a role in the process of cell metabolism and maintenance of the human nervous system. Generally, deficiency of these two vitamins often occurs in the elderly, but young people can also experience it.
Every day, people over 14 years need 1.3 mg of vitamin B1, 1.2 mg of vitamin B6, and 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 to maintain nerve health. Some sources of B vitamins are fish, meat, eggs, or vitamin supplements.
4. Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune disease is a disorder in the body’s immune system that attacks nerve cells in a person’s body tissues. One of the diseases that cause this disorder is Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is a rare condition when a person’s immune system attacks its own peripheral nerves.
5. Chemotherapy side effects
Peripheral nerve damage is a side effect of chemotherapy for cancer patients. However, only about 30 to 40 percent of chemotherapy patients experience this. The reason is, only certain chemotherapy can cause neurological disorders.
Those of you who are undergoing radiation therapy are also prone to experiencing similar problems. These side effects will usually only be seen a few months to several years after treatment is carried out.
6. Addicted to alcohol
Disorders of the peripheral nerves due to alcoholism are usually referred to as alcoholic neuropathy. This condition is most likely caused by the body taking in more alcohol than the limit. Alcohol consumption can trigger free radical damage to the nerves so that the nerves are susceptible to damage.
Tips for keeping nerves healthy
So, are you classified as at risk for peripheral nerve damage? Take it easy, damage to the peripheral nerves can be prevented by maintaining the health of your nerve tissue. You do this by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, reducing alcohol consumption, and consuming neurotropic vitamins.
Neurotrophic vitamins are a combination of vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B12 (cobalamin). All three have a fairly important role for metabolic processes and regeneration of your nervous system.
Peripheral nerve damage can indeed be caused by various things. However, there is nothing wrong with maintaining health by changing your lifestyle to reduce the risk of problems with this nerve tissue and regularly taking neurotropic vitamins.