Demyelinating neuropathy is a disease that destroys the myelin sheath of nerves, causing numbness, tingling, and loss of control. Its causes are unknown, but it is thought to be autoimmune. Treatment focuses on suppressing the immune system and replacing the myelin sheath.
Demyelinating neuropathy is a disease of the nerves that causes destruction of the myelin sheath. The myelin sheath is a layer of fatty tissue that protects nerves and makes nerve impulses travel quickly and efficiently. Without the myelin sheath, nerve impulses would not be able to reach completely intact parts of the body. This would cause loss of feeling or control of the body part in question. Demyelinated nerves will eventually wither from disuse if the problem is left untreated.
The causes of demyelinating neuropathy are largely unknown and not well understood. The condition is thought to be autoimmune. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks parts of the body as if they were foreign to the body.
The symptoms of demyelinating neuropathy depend on the location of the myelin sheath that is under attack. Numbness, burning and tingling in the hands or feet are among the most common symptoms. You may experience sudden pain in your back or neck. The sufferer might also experience loss of reflexes or involuntary muscle contractions.
Demyelinating neuropathy can also attack the nerves supplying the heart and other involuntary systems. This is called autonomic neuropathy. In addition to heart problems, the patient may have problems with the bladder or bowels. Another common symptom is dizziness when switching between lying, sitting and standing positions.
Treatments for demyelinating neuropathy primarily focus on trying to stop the immune system from attacking the myelin sheath. There is no way to tell the immune system what not to attack, so the immune system has to be suppressed as a whole using drugs called immunosuppressants. Suppression of the immune system is often accompanied by a procedure called plasmapheresis. Blood is withdrawn from the body in small quantities to remove immune cells attacking the myelin sheath, and then healthy blood is returned to the body. Immunosuppressants are used to stop the body from making more harmful cells.
Another name for demyelinating neuropathy is chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Corticosteroids are also effective in treating demyelinating neuropathy because they treat the inflammation associated with the condition. An example of a corticosteroid is prednisolone.
The primary tissue that makes up the myelin sheath is called sphingomyelin or myelin basic protein. Some believe that demyelinating neuropathy is best treated by simply replacing the myelin sheath that is being destroyed. This is done by taking a nutritional supplement based on basic myelin proteins from animals such as cattle.
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