Alcoholic Neuropathy: Symptoms, Treatment, Recovery Timeline

This condition is also referred to as “alcohol-related neuropathy” to help decrease the stigma surrounding the condition. 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 person can improve their outlook by significantly reducing or stopping their alcohol intake and ensuring that they are receiving the right balance of nutrients.

Alcoholic Neuropathy: Understanding the Link Between Alcohol and Nerve Damage

Painful sensations with or without burning quality represent the initial and major symptom of alcoholic neuropathy 2, 4. Later on, weakness appears in the extremities, involving mainly the distal parts. Progressively, the sensory and motor symptoms and signs extend proximally into the arms and legs and finally the gait may alcoholism treatment become impaired 11. Progression of symptoms is usually gradual, continuing over months or years 2, 4. Electrophysiologic and pathologic findings mainly indicate axonal neuropathy with reduced nerve fibre densities.

Pain

Symptoms of AAN are non-specific; in the sympathetic division, these include impairments in perspiration, orthostatic hypotension, whereas in parasympathetic hoarseness, swallowing difficulties, or cardiac arrhythmias 111, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ 166. Gastrointestinal symptoms include delayed stomach emptying and intestinal transit, dyspepsia, and faster emptying of the gallbladder 165. Cardiac arrhythmias in patients with AAN might increase the probability of sudden cardiac death, which is probably due to toxic effects of alcohol on a cardiac muscle that is also observed in alcoholic cardiomyopathy 168, 169. During the initial stages of ALN, the disease may appear asymptomatic and demonstrable only on electroneurographic investigation 71, 111, 112. Because ALN is a length-dependent axonopathy, it manifests mainly in a “stocking-glove” form, affecting the lower extremities at the beginning 28, 113. The main symptoms of ALN include dysesthesia, paresthesia, numbness, and pain in the lower extremities which progressively reach higher parts of the body 114,115,116,117.

• Several factors influence how long it will take for symptoms to improve, such as the severity of nerve damage, how long alcohol was consumed, and the effectiveness of treatment.
• Endoneural oxidative stress leads to nerve dysfunction in rats with chronic constriction injury 39.
• The improvement timeline for alcoholic neuropathy does vary significantly among individuals, depending on several factors including the severity of the problem and amount of time has passed since cessation of drinking.

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• Alcoholic polyneuropathy is caused primarily by chronic alcoholism; however, vitamin deficiencies are also known to contribute to its development.
• What is crucial during ALN treatment is the alleviation of the major causation of ALN which is alcohol abuse.
• Alcoholic neuropathy results from nerve damage due to chronic alcohol consumption, while diabetic neuropathy is caused by prolonged high blood sugar levels in diabetes.
• With the right approach and support, we can achieve significant improvements in our symptoms and quality of life.
• The key role in the degradation of ethanol is played by ethanol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase-two step enzymatic systems by which ethanol is converted to acetate which is further metabolized in humans.
• Take the following steps if you suspect you have neuropathy from overconsumption of alcohol.

Alcoholic myopathy causes muscle weakness, cramping, and stiffness, often leading to difficulty with movement and physical tasks. Patients with alcoholic myopathy may experience fatigue and muscle pain, especially after physical activity. If you’re struggling to control your drinking and worried about alcoholic neuropathy, help is available.

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Nerves help you to move (motor nerves) and feel physical sensations (sensory nerves). Some of your bodily functions are autonomic, which means that you don’t directly control them. Nerves that are part of the autonomic nervous system help to regulate heart rate, body temperature, respiration, and blood pressure. Polyneuropathy involves damage to more than one nerve at the same time, usually multiple nerves throughout the peripheral nervous system and all over the body.

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• What about some home remedy options or alcoholic neuropathy vitamins — do they exist?
• Cardiac arrhythmias in patients with AAN might increase the probability of sudden cardiac death, which is probably due to toxic effects of alcohol on a cardiac muscle that is also observed in alcoholic cardiomyopathy 168, 169.
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• When this message is interrupted due to damaged nerves, the muscles cannot function as they normally would.

Symptoms may include numbness and tingling in the limbs, muscle weakness, and loss of mobility. Thiamine serves as an important coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism and neuron development. The lack of thiamine in the nervous system affects the cellular structure and can cause cell membrane damage and irregular ectopic cells. Other vitamin deficiencies seen what are the early stages of alcoholic neuropathy with alcohol abuse include but are not limited to, B vitamins, folic acid, and vitamin E.