Ammendola and colleagues conducted a study to assess differences between men and women in the development of alcoholic neuropathy. This study suggested that females may demonstrate increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of alcohol on peripheral nerves. Thiamine, also known as the antiberiberi factor or antineuritic factor, is an essential vitamin in the metabolism of pyruvate and has a role in the health of the peripheral nervous system.
- Person’s compliance to treatment and consumption of alcohol is very crucial in the recovery process.
- Both the toxicity of alcohol and nutritional deficiencies have been linked with alcoholic neuropathy, which is one of the most common but least recognizable consequences of heavy alcohol use.
- Supplementing with vitamin B12, folate, vitamin E, and thiamine may be advised to address these deficits.
- The major complications of alcoholic neuropathy occur due to altered sensations.
- It is likely to get worse if the person continues to use alcohol or if nutritional problems are not corrected.
What is the Recovery Period in Alcoholic Neuropathy?
Constant pain in the hands or feet is one of the most bothersome aspects of alcoholic neuropathy. As the condition progresses, the pain may vary in intensity, sometimes diminishing for months before worsening again. There’s no exact timeframe for how quickly alcohol-related neuropathy develops. However, amphetamine addiction treatment stopping consuming alcohol sooner can help stop the progression of nerve damage. It’s important to speak with a healthcare professional if you experience any symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
Alcohol Neuropathy Stages: Progression of the Condition
For our muscles to work, they must receive a signal from neighboring neurons. When injured nerves disrupt this message, the muscles are unable to perform their normal function. Unfortunately, alcohol-dependent people’s symptoms cannot be reduced by taking vitamin supplements alone. Focusing on the various routes that have contributed to the development of the disease is crucial because of this. Patients must be taught how to control their habitual alcohol abuse, for example.
Pain – A Major Symptom of Alcoholic Neuropathy
- Thiamine, also known as the antiberiberi factor or antineuritic factor, is an essential vitamin in the metabolism of pyruvate and has a role in the health of the peripheral nervous system.
- Alcohol-related neuropathy is a condition caused by consuming large amounts of alcohol over a long period.
- This could lead to disability, chronic pain, and damage to your arms and legs.
Oxidative stress is known to play a very important role in experimental animal models of neuropathic pain. Lee et al. 36 suggested that reactive oxygen species are importantly involved in the development and maintenance of capsaicin-induced pain, particularly in the process of central sensitization in the spinal cord in rats. Naik et al. 38 suggested the involvement of oxidative stress in experimentally induced chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve model in rats. Endoneural oxidative stress leads to nerve dysfunction in rats with chronic constriction injury 39. A significant decrease in the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and an increase in lipid peroxidation were observed in sciatic nerves of diabetic rats with established neuropathic pain 40. ROS triggers second messengers involved in central sensitization of dorsal horn cells 41 or they activate spinal glial cells which in turn play an important role in chronic pain 42.
How to Prevent Alcoholic Neuropathy
Thus, there is an urgent need to alcohol neuropathy 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. Here we discuss a few of the therapeutic options which are tried and could be tried for prevention and treatment of alcoholic peripheral neuropathy. Epidermal nerve fibre density was assessed in two studies, both of which supported decremental nerve fibre density distally in the lower limb, anecdotally supportive of a length-dependent pattern 53, 63.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcoholic Neuropathy
Chronic alcohol consumption can have deleterious effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. One of the most common adverse effects seen in patients with chronic alcohol use disorder is alcohol neuropathy. This commonly presents with pain, paresthesias, and ataxia in the distal lower extremities. The exact number of people affected by this condition is not known, but studies have shown that up to 66% of patients with chronic alcohol use disorder may have some form of the disease. The cause is multifactorial, from both nutritional deficiencies and alcohol metabolism’s direct toxic effects on neurons. Because of the diverse effects of alcohol on the body, these patients should be managed by an interprofessional team.
Are there long term effects of Alcoholic Neuropathy (Alcohol-related Nerve Damage)?
Human studies have also suggested a direct toxic effect, since a dose-dependent relationship has been observed between severity of neuropathy and total life time dose of ethanol 6, 13. The exact mechanism behind alcoholic neuropathy is not well understood, but several explanations have been proposed. Therefore, alcoholic neuropathy may occur by a combination of the direct toxic effects of ethanol or its metabolites and nutritional deficiencies, including thiamine deficiency.