Alcoholic neuropathy: Causes, symptoms, and treatment

Chronic alcoholism can alter the intake, absorption and utilization of various nutrients (nicotinic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate or vitamin E). Thus, these vitamin deficiencies were not considered to be major causal factors of neuropathy [26]. Alcoholic neuropathy is nerve damage that results from the toxic effect of alcohol on nerves. Alcohol-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of alcohol use disorder.Excess alcohol consumption can also result in malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies that have a damaging effect on nerves. Treatment of ALN aims to reduce further damage to the peripheral nerves and restore their normal functioning.

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You can also find treatment facilities nationwide using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s FindTreatment.gov website.
Due to the nature of acupuncture, the stimulation of acupoints with needles or electricity is always perceived by patients and known to practitioners.
She has over a decade of direct patient care experience working as a registered nurse specializing in neurotrauma, stroke, and the emergency room.
It has been recognized that spinal cord glial cells, astrocytes and microglia are activated by neuropathic pain or peripheral inflammation [42].

Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic acid proteases, are a family of cysteine proteases, which play an essential role in apoptosis (programmed cell death), necrosis and inflammation. Translocation of NFkβ to the nucleus has been reported to result in activation of the endogenous alcohol neuropathy proteolytic enzyme system caspases [69]. Joseph & Levine [71] suggested that activity in signaling pathways that ultimately lead to apoptosis plays a critical role in the generation of neuropathic pain, before death of sensory neurones becomes apparent.

Alcoholic neuropathy is one of the most common adverse effects of chronic alcohol consumption.
Therefore, topical application with capsaicin may provide symptomatic relief from neuropathic pain in patients suffering from alcoholic neuropathy.
The lack of thiamine in the nervous system affects the cellular structure and can cause cell membrane damage and irregular ectopic cells.
This process results in anti-neuroinflammatory effects on modulation [60, 61] and nerve conduction [62], and stabilizes the concentration of ions inside and outside cells to avoid protein denaturation [63], which prevents and treats neurotoxicity.
A doctor may diagnose a person with alcoholic neuropathy, if alcohol use has damaged the peripheral nerves.

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Alcohol can have significant negative effects on the central nervoussystem (CNS). Drinking alcohol can also have negative effects on the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Alcoholic neuropathy occurs when too much alcohol damages the peripheral nerves. This can be permanent, as alcohol can cause changes to the nerves themselves.

A connection between MEK/ERK signaling and alcoholic neuropathy

A program that caters to co-occurring disorders ensures that the alcoholism is being treated and so are any other medical or mental health issues. Medical, mental health, and substance abuse providers all work together to form and carry out a treatment plan that helps to manage all disorders at the same time. Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and tocotrienols. Treatment with vitamin E was found to be beneficial in the treatment of patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy [104] and neuropathic pain in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats [105]. Recently findings from our laboratory also suggest the benefecial effects of both α-tocopherol and tocotrienol, isoforms of vitamin E, in the prevention of hyperalgesia and allodynia in rats administered ethanol for 10 weeks [55].

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Activation of spinal cord microglia, mGlu5 spinal cord receptors, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis appear to be implicated in this process [92,93,94,95,96,97]. Oxidative stress also leads to the indirect damage of nerve fibers via the release of free radicals and proinflammatory cytokines with protein kinase C and ERK kinase phosphorylation [98,99,100,101]. Besides, ALN is characterized by insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) resistance, which results in impaired trophic factor signaling [102, 103].

How to Prevent Alcoholic Neuropathy

Individuals with alcoholic neuropathy can make a partial or full recovery, depending on the extent and duration of their alcohol consumption.
ALN further manifests as weakness and atrophy of muscles due to the damage of greater motor fibers and impaired neuromuscular transmission.
They may also recommend other options, such as medications for alcohol reduction or cessation maintenance, support groups, and psychotherapy.
This condition often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet.

Signs and symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy

A significant challenge in network meta-analysis is managing the inconsistency between direct and indirect evidence for acupuncture-M comparisons.
Thus, treatment with anticonvulsant drugs may provide another therapeutic alternative for the symptomatic relief of pain in patients with alcoholic neuropathy.
However, some people notice an improvement in symptoms a few months after discontinuing alcohol intake.
Nerves that are part of the autonomic nervous system help to regulate heart rate, body temperature, respiration, and blood pressure.