Scientists have warned that a painful condition linked to an increased risk of dying early is far more common than previously thought. A new study found that three out of four patients from a sample were living with neuropathy – a type of nerve damage that can cause pain, numbness or weakness.
However, of these patients, only a quarter had been diagnosed with the condition. Neuropathy, which is experienced in the feet and hands, can eventually lead to falls, infection and even amputation, a team from the University of Michigan explained.
It is also associated with a greater risk of an early death, they said. Study author Melissa Elafros, from the University of Michigan and member of the American Academy of Neurology, explained: “More than one-third of people with neuropathy experience sharp, prickling or shock-like pain, which increases their rates of depression and decreases quality of life.”
She added: “People with neuropathy also have an increased risk of earlier death, even when you take into account other conditions they have, so identifying and treating people with or at risk for neuropathy is essential.”
The study, which was published in Neurology journal, involved 169 people with an average age of 58 from an outpatient internal medicine clinic in Flint, Michigan.
A total of 73 percent of the people had neuropathy but of those, 75 percent had not been previously diagnosed with the condition. Nearly 60 percent of those with neuropathy were experiencing pain.
Half of the people had diabetes, which can cause neuropathy. And 67 percent had metabolic syndrome, which is defined as having excess belly fat plus two or more of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, higher than normal triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood), high blood sugar and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, or “good” cholesterol.
These are all risk factors that are also associated with neuropathy. The team believes this warrants greater understanding of the condition.
“The amount of people with neuropathy in this study, particularly undiagnosed neuropathy, was extraordinarily high with almost three fourths of the study population,” Elafros said.
“This highlights the urgent need for interventions that improve diagnosis and management of this condition, as well as the need for managing risk factors that can lead to this condition.”
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of neuropathy include:
- Numbness and tingling in the feet or hands
- Burning, stabbing or shooting pain in affected areas
- Loss of balance and co-ordination
- Muscle weakness, especially in the feet.
“These symptoms are usually constant, but may come and go,” the health body says.
It’s “important” to see a GP if you experience the early symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.
The NHS adds: “Generally, the sooner peripheral neuropathy is diagnosed, the better the chance of limiting the damage and preventing further complications.”
In the UK, diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy.
But it can also be caused by:
- Physical injury to the nerves
- A viral infection, such as shingles
- A side effect of certain medicines or drinking too much alcohol.
Certain vitamin deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamin B12, can also cause neuropathy.