What Is Peripheral Neuropathy?
The human nervous system has two main parts: the central nervous system, or CNS, made up of the spinal cord and brain, and the peripheral nervous system, consisting of all the nerves outside the CNS. The peripheral nervous system includes sensory neurons, the longest cell type in our body. Sensory neurons pick up signals from sensory receptors at the dendrites and release them at their axon terminals to transfer them to the next neuron or the spinal cord and, ultimately, the brain. Normally, all of this occurs virtually instantaneously.
In peripheral neuropathy (PN), the peripheral sensory nerves become damaged as a result of injury or disease. In diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), for instance, the degeneration of nerve terminals occurs systemically but is observed in the outermost limbs, including the hands and feet of patients. Eventually, the disease progresses systemically to affect the eyes, heart and kidneys of the patient. It is believed to be caused by a high blood glucose level that disrupts the neurotransmission. This nerve damage leads to a disturbance in sensory function and symptoms ranging from tingling or persistent pain to a muted or complete loss of feeling.
