Alcoholic Neuropathy StatPearls NCBI Bookshelf

Counseling or therapy can help us cope with the emotional and mental challenges of a lengthy recovery process. Understanding the multifaceted nature of alcoholic neuropathy is crucial. Recognizing the early signs and seeking prompt treatment can significantly mitigate the condition’s impact, allowing for better treatment outcomes and reducing the risk of permanent damage.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Body?

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. The symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy can significantly impair an individual’s quality of life. Initially, symptoms might include tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation in the extremities, particularly the feet and hands.

Alcoholic Neuropathy Treatment

• A more comprehensive EMG analysis may be conducted when the patient has lumbosacral radiculopathy.
• Thiamine, folate, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and vitamin E are all needed for proper nerve function.
• Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you about the seriousness of your case and what that means for you.
• Some researchers estimate that 65 percent of people in the United States who have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder also have alcoholic neuropathy.

Alcohol is a toxin, and if one drinks excessively, it can have adverse effects on the body. The main way alcohol can impact the body is by suppressing the nervous system. More often than not, however, a patient who is diligent with his treatment will experience a significant alcohol neuropathy stages improvement in his symptoms over a period of time. It will take months or even years for the debilitating pain to fade away, but most patients report that they do see some relief and some people even experience a full remission of their neuropathy symptoms.

Long-Term Health Risks

Red blood cells (RBCs) tend to be larger than normal (macrocytosis) and reduced in number from a deficiency in vitamin B9 or B12 or GI bleeding. There may be an increase in erythrocyte macrocytic volume because alcohol interferes with the development of normal RBCs. Glucose fluctuation, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia are common features.

Individualized treatment programs delivered in a comfortable, relaxed setting promote healing in your recovery journey. Excess alcohol use can also impair nutrient absorption in the small intestine and increase the risk of malnutrition. Something that we think of like an every day, straightforward activity, becomes a struggle and a problem. Loss of balance is also a severe problem, as the person can fall and injure themselves seriously. In more severe cases, they can cut themselves or endure more severe injuries. As they don’t feel the pain, they also don’t feel the need to protect their wounds.

One primary reason is the toxic effect of alcohol on your nerves, which can lead to nerve damage over time. Another significant factor is nutritional deficiencies that result from chronic alcohol consumption. Alcoholic polyneuropathy is progressive and gets worse over time, as the damage to the nerves increases with continued alcohol abuse. The problems that alcoholic neuropathy causes with muscle weakness, balance, and coordination can make a person more at risk for falling down and getting injured.

However, this seemingly innocuous sensation may be an early warning sign of a condition known as alcoholic neuropathy, a lesser-known but significant consequence of long-term alcohol use. Alcohol consumption irritates the lining of the stomach and intestines. A night of drinking can cause uncomfortable symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Chronic and excessive alcohol use disrupts the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome (dysbiosis). Over time, this imbalance triggers chronic gastrointestinal inflammation, leading to a higher risk of gastrointestinal diseases.

The excess free radicals also interfere with activities in your cells like glycogen and lipid storage. Improper energy storage can cause problems with muscle contractions, leading to weakness. Rhabdomyolysis can lead to kidney failure and kidney dialysis, a treatment using machines that filter your blood for your kidneys. Patients experience dysesthesias, which are abnormal sensations that may be difficult for them to describe. Pain is usually present and characterized by burning, sharp, prickling, tingling, tickling, and pins-and-needles sensations, and may coexist with numbness.

Whether or not it’s serious depends on many factors, including the symptoms it causes, how severely it affects nerves and more. Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you about the seriousness of your case and what that means for you. Pain from peripheral neuropathy is usually the most disruptive symptom, but medications or other treatments may help. Autonomic symptoms are among the most serious because they involve your body’s vital functions. When those don’t work correctly, it can have very severe — and sometimes dangerous — effects.