:: November 2009

Welcome to our Monthly Online Newsletter!

View all Treatment articles in our Treatment Report . The most recent articles are listed on top (not in alphabetical order). Click on the Topic on our home page and then the subtopic - Treatment Report. Stay updated on drugs and their side effects, and various other treatments, including exercise, nutrition, and supplements.

Radial neuropathy due to occupational lead exposure: Phenotypic and electrophysiological characteristics of five patients (Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2009) “The common causes of neuropathy in India include Hansen's disease, diabetes mellitus, Guillain-Barr? syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy, genetically-determined neuropathy, and various drugs. [1] Exposure to toxins like acrylamide, carbon disulfide, inorganic mercury, methyl n-butyl ketone, polychlorinated biphenyl, thallium, triorthocresyl phosphate, arsenic, lead, styrene, and toluene could result in neuropathy , and correct diagnosis calls for a high index of suspicion. [2] Patients with lead neuropathy present with weakness that primarily involves the wrist and finger extensors, but which could also spread to involve other muscles. [3] Patients with unusually long exposure to inorganic lead may show mild sensory and autonomic neuropathic features rather than the motor neuropathy classically attributed to lead toxicity. [4] Lead intoxication in humans causes axonal degeneration, but in some other species it causes a primarily demyelinating neuropathy. Diagnosis of lead neuropathy is important because it is potentially reversible and also because its early detection and treatment may prevent other systemic complications. … Environmental exposure to toxic lead levels due to soil, food, and water contamination can also occur. The common sources of lead poisoning are fumes from burnt car batteries, ingestion of flaking paint, inhalation of vehicle fumes, consumption of food cooked in cheap aluminum or brass utensils or in 'kalai,' i.e., vessels that are poorly coated with tin adulterated with lead, and application of 'kajal' (mittal). Tesink et al . reported that poisoning is almost always caused by ingestion. Lead is absorbed from the respiratory tract into the circulation and is transported on the surface of the red cell, which carries most of the absorbed lead. [6] There are three compartments in the body where lead can be stored: the RBC pool, the soft tissues, and the skeletal system (stores 95% of the body lead). Though the kidneys excrete lead, only a small proportion of the total body lead is removed, and continued exposure results in accumulation of the metal in the tissues. Some people, perhaps due to genetic factors, are more susceptible to poisoning than others. About 15% of Caucasians have a variant of a gene which encodes for aminolevulinic acid dehydrogenase, a critical enzyme in the production of haem, which may make them more susceptible to toxicity from retained lead. Low levels of calcium, iron, copper, zinc, or phosphorus in the diet or high levels of fat can increase lead absorption. [1]”

Canadian Diabetes Association 2003 clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada : Neuropathy, 15 Dec 2003, Canadian Diabetes Association (2003)

NGC - Consensus criteria for the diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy. (2003)

NGC - Guideline for management of wounds in patients with lower-extremity neuropathic disease. (2004)

New Guidelines on Evaluation of Distal Symmetric Polyneuropathy

Featured site

NIH - NINDS Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet

NIH - Diabetic Nerve Problems

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Alcoholic neuropathy

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Autonomic neuropathy

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Neuropathy secondary to drugs

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Numbness and tingling

NIH - NDIC Diabetic Neuropathies: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes

NIH - NIDCD Auditory Neuropathy

NIH - NIDDK Neuropathy in Diabetes

NIH - NINDS Diabetic Neuropathy Information Page

NIH - NINDS Guillain-Barre Syndrome Information Page

NIH - NINDS Multifocal Motor Neuropathy Information Page

NIH - NINDS Peripheral Neuropathy Information Page

Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Diet - Health

Fitness - Exercise

Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Helicobacter pylori prevalence in diabetic patients and its relationship with dyspepsia and autonomic neuropathy. (J Endocrinol Invest. 2005) "AIMS: We evaluated the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) in Type 2 diabetic patients and its relationship with dyspeptic symptoms and complications of diabetes. Ä CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of HP infection in diabetic patients and it is correlated with dyspeptic symptoms. Diabetic subjects complicated with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy and dyspepsia are at high risk of HP infection and should be carefully investigated and considered for eradication therapy."

Diet - Health

Neurologic complications after surgery for obesity. (Muscle Nerve. 2005) "Bariatric surgical procedures are increasingly common. In this review, we characterize the neurologic complications of such procedures, including their mechanisms, frequency, and prognosis. Literature review yielded 50 case reports of 96 patients with neurologic symptoms after bariatric procedures. The most common presentations were peripheral neuropathy in 60 (62%) and encephalopathy in 30 (31%)."