Metabolic neuropathies

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Central nervous system

The symptoms are due to the inability of nerves to send proper signals to and from your brain:

• Numbness (inability to feel things properly)
• Pain -- burning, pins and needles, or shooting pains
• Loss of coordination
• Clumsy gait
• Weakness

Usually, these symptoms start in the toes and feet and progress up the legs, eventually affecting the hands and arms.

Your doctor will test your strength, coordination, and sensation. Abnormal reflexes, weakness, or sensation can indicate that you have a neuropathy.

Blood tests are often used to detect most metabolic neuropathies. In some cases, an electrical test of the nerves called EMG can show how severely the nerves are affected and can indicate if a metabolic disorder is suspected.

Review Date: 05/16/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.