Neuropathy is a disorder of the nerves -- the body’s system for transmitting messages from the body to the spinal cord and brain, and vice versa. Common symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, changes in sensation, and pain. There are four main types of neuropathy, based on which nerves are affected and how many.
Autonomic Neuropathy
Affects nerves that control involuntary, or autonomic, body functions
Focal Neuropathy
Also known as mononeuropathy, it affects one nerve
Polyneuropathy/Peripheral Neuropathy
Generalized neuropathy that affects the same nerve on both sides of your body.
Multifocal Neuropathy
Multiple mononeuropathies affecting different nerves
Neuropathies can be caused by many different conditions, including:
- Cancers, like multiple myeloma and paraneoplastic syndromes
- Diabetes and other endocrine disorders, like thyroid disease
- Infectious diseases, like herpes, leprosy, sarcoidosis, Lyme disease, HIV, and hepatitis
- Organ failure
- Toxins, like certain medications, chemotherapy, and heavy metals
- Trauma
- Vitamin deficiencies
Rare Neuropathies
Many of our neurologists have significant experience treating uncommon types of neuropathy, including:
- Acute and chronic immune-mediated neuropathies: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), also known as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP), GBS variants, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)
- Amyloidosis neuropathy
- Hereditary neuropathies: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, familial amyloid, mitochondrial disorders, hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSAN), hereditary spastic paraplegia with neuropathy, and hereditary peripheral nerve channelopathies
- Vascular/ischemic neuropathy