The key to managing these dangerous effects is spotting the neuropathy as soon as possible. This means that people addicted to inhalants, like sniffing glue or paint thinner, are also at risk for neuropathy. But delirium tremens is a medical emergency and requires a hospital stay. You may need to be sedated for more than a week until the alcohol withdrawal symptoms go away. And a doctor may use brain-imaging techniques to monitor treatment over time. Excessive consumption of alcohol causes alcohol-related neurologic disease.
How are Alcohol-Related Neurological Diseases Treated?
Over time it gradually starts to affect shorter nerves, so feels as if it’s spreading upwards, and later affects the hands. For example, treatment for muscle weakness may involve physiotherapy and walking aids. Nerve pain may be treated with prescribed medicines called neuropathic pain agents, as standard painkillers often do not work. For example, if you have diabetes, it may help to gain better control of your blood sugar level, stop smoking and cut down on alcohol. According to 2019 research, diabetes and PN can lead to disabling nerve pain and lower limb amputation.
Progressive & Permanent Side Effects
Alcoholic neuropathy is not typically fatal, but it can cause serious complications due to loss of nerve function. Without treatment, alcohol-induced effects can cause permanent damage and severely affect the quality of life. Supporting recovery and preventing relapse in individuals with alcoholic neuropathy involves building a strong support network, including healthcare providers, family, friends, and support groups. Ongoing therapy and counseling can address the psychological aspects of addiction and help develop strategies for coping with the challenges of neuropathy. Persons with alcoholism may consume smaller amounts of essential nutrients and vitamins and/or exhibit impaired gastrointestinal absorption of these nutrients secondary to the direct effects of alcohol. One of the other important issues in alcoholic individuals is the source of their calorie intake.
- People with alcoholic neuropathy who stop drinking may alleviate their current symptoms and prevent further nerve deterioration.
- The ideal way to do that is with proper and complete alcohol abstinence and implementing vitamin B supplements along with a well-balanced diet.
- Others may be able to stop drinking with outpatient therapy or social support.
- A doctor may also recommend treatments to manage neurological symptoms, such as pain relief medications, physical therapy, and mobility aids.
Signs and symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy
Apoptosis of neurones was induced by cisplatin, but pre-incubation with N-acetylcysteine completely blocked apoptosis [112]. Acetyl-L-carnitine has been tested in clinical [102] and animal studies [103] for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The decreases in nerve conduction velocity were significantly less in groups supplemented with acetyl-L-carnitine.
There is damage to the nerves due to the direct toxic effect of alcohol and the malnutrition induced by it. Patients present with pain, ataxia and parasthesias in the lower extremities. This activity describes the evaluation and management of alcoholic neuropathy and reviews the role of the interprofessional team in improving care for patients with this condition. Alcoholic neuropathy, also known as alcoholic peripheral neuropathy, refers to damage of the nerves due to chronic and excessive alcohol consumption. Affected nerves include the peripheral nerves, primarily located in the arms and legs, and the autonomic nerves, which help regulate our internal body functions. About 46% of chronic alcohol users will eventually develop this condition.
Alcoholic neuropathy: possible mechanisms and future treatment possibilities
As yet there is no effective therapeutic intervention available for relieving the neuropathic pain due to chronic alcohol consumption. Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role for metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in nociceptive processing, inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia [74, 75]. Several mGluR subtypes have been identified in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord [76, 77] and on primary afferent fibres [78]. Glutamate concentrations are is alcoholic neuropathy dangerous elevated in the superficial dorsal horn of rats after chronic ligature of the sciatic nerve [79]. Miyoshi et al. found that 5 weeks after ethanol treatment, the mechanical nociceptive threshold was significantly decreased and is further reduced up to 10 weeks [80]. As supported by immunostaining, the membrane fraction showed that spinal mGluR5 concentrations in ethanol-treated rats were significantly increased compared with those in the control diet group.
So, before you have another drink, you may want to learn a bit more about this disease first. Of all the deleterious effects of excessive alcohol consumption, neuropathy is the most common. The true incidence of alcoholic neuropathy in the general population is unknown, and figures vary widely depending on the definition of chronic alcoholism and the criteria used to detect and classify neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy happens when the nerves that are located outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves) are damaged. This condition often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet. It also can affect other areas and body functions including digestion and urination.
- As a result, patients struggling with alcohol abuse are also at risk of undernourishment.
- Peripheral neuropathy can affect one nerve, called mononeuropathy.
- Electrical nerve stimulation sends a small electrical current through the skin and nerves that can help with sensitivities and pain, making it an option for treatment.