Nerve Inflammation Symptoms

The swelling and irritation of nerves, or nerve inflammation is called chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy. This condition leads to damage to the nerves present outside the spinal cord or brain. Many people experience the inflammation in the back. Polyneuropathy is a condition where many nerves are affected and this condition usually affects both sides of the body. The condition wherein the patient experiences acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy for a relatively shorter period of time is Guillain Barre syndrome. The main cause of chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy is abnormal immune response, and in many cases the cause is still unknown. This disorder can occur along with conditions of HIV, lupus erythematosus, chronic active hepatitis, inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) and also, blood cell abnormalities. Now that we know more about the causes of this condition, let us look at the different symptoms of neuropathy.

Symptoms
Here is a list of the symptoms associated with the condition of nerve inflammation:

• Difficulty while walking
• Trouble using arms and hands, or legs and feet
• Weakness of face
• Difficulty while breathing
• Weakness, usually in the hands or legs
• Sensation of burning
• Tingling or other abnormal sensations
• Bowel problems
• Decreased sensation
• Numbness
• Pain
• Bladder related problems
• Abnormal motion
• Pain in the joints
• Muscle atrophy
• Changes in the voice or hoarse voice
• Speech impairment
• Trouble while swallowing
• Fatigue
• Paralysis of the face
• Uncoordinated motions
• Loss of sensation in the muscles
• Muscle contractions

Treatment
This condition is complex, and the treatment is aimed at controlling the different symptoms that the patient may be experiencing. Complete nerve inflammation recovery is possible, however loss of nerve function is not uncommon. It is important that you seek medical care, in case you experience loss of movement or sensation in any body area, and seek medical attention immediately in case your symptoms become worse. The doctor will perform a physical check-up, and may also prescribe some other tests like a spinal tap, nerve biopsy, EMG (Electromyography) or nerve conduction tests. The treatment can include the following

• Corticosteroids which help in reducing the inflammation
• In severe cases, the doctor may prescribe other medications which suppress the immune system.
• For diabetic neuropathy treatment medicines like tricyclic antidepressants and lidocaine patches are used
• Removal of the plasma (blood) which contains antibodies, from the body, and then performing plasmaphresis to replace the plasma
• Addition of more numbers of antibodies in the plasma, to reduce the effect of antibodies which are causing the disorder

There are certain complications related to nerve inflammation. The complications include side effects of the medication, repeated or unnoticed injury to a certain body area, weakness or paralysis of a body part, and sometimes permanent loss of sensation of a body part. To prevent any health complications, it is important that you do not ignore symptoms like loss of sensation or difficulty in movement of a body part.