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What Is Non-diabetic Neuropathy?
Question: What is nondiabetic neuropathy? Can OSA cause this disease?
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your health related questions.
Neuropathy means a damage of a peripheral nerve. A nondiabetic neuropathy means simply that diabetes is not the cause (diabetes is the most common cause). That is not saying much though as neuropathy can have a whole host of different causes such as nutritional deficiencies, metabolic and endocrine alterations, alcohol use, exposure to some drugs and toxins, some infections etc. For that reason often many tests are needed to investigate after the origin of the neuropathy. Frustratingly though there is a percentage of cases (about 25%) where even after all the available tests no cause is found.
As for OSA, it is not exactly a common cause of neuropathy, not one of the traditionally thought causes. However there have been several studies which have found a higher percentage of neuropathy cases among OSA patients which have improved with OSA treatment. The mechanism through which OSA could lead to neuropathy is not well elucidated, it is hypothesized to be due to nerve suffering from low oxygen supply. I would like to repeat though that it is not a traditional cause and should be considered only when no other cause can be found.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your health related questions.
Neuropathy means a damage of a peripheral nerve. A nondiabetic neuropathy means simply that diabetes is not the cause (diabetes is the most common cause). That is not saying much though as neuropathy can have a whole host of different causes such as nutritional deficiencies, metabolic and endocrine alterations, alcohol use, exposure to some drugs and toxins, some infections etc. For that reason often many tests are needed to investigate after the origin of the neuropathy. Frustratingly though there is a percentage of cases (about 25%) where even after all the available tests no cause is found.
As for OSA, it is not exactly a common cause of neuropathy, not one of the traditionally thought causes. However there have been several studies which have found a higher percentage of neuropathy cases among OSA patients which have improved with OSA treatment. The mechanism through which OSA could lead to neuropathy is not well elucidated, it is hypothesized to be due to nerve suffering from low oxygen supply. I would like to repeat though that it is not a traditional cause and should be considered only when no other cause can be found.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
What exactly is obstructive sleep apnea, is it inherited, can it cause seizures, and did I inherit this condition from my Mom, who also has sleep apnea problems, and has had seizures from it in the past which have rendered her unconscious so that she retired an ambulance.
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
The term apnea means lack of breathing. Sleep apnea means interruptions of breathing during sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea these interruptions of breathing happen because the upper airways which are more relaxed during sleep, collapse to the point of temporarily closing the passage of air completely, the transitory lack of oxygen leads to disrupted sleep. The lack of oxygen during sleep may even lead to seizures.
Most commonly it is related to obesity but may also happen in people who are born with narrow upper airways or who have issues such as polyps, chronic airway infection and allergies, deviation of the septum nasi etc. It is not directly inherited but since you may have a predisposition for the above factors you may have a predisposition for OSA as well.
Whether that is the case, whether you have it, I can't express an opinion on that regard as up to now you have said absolutely nothing about your actual symptoms. Typically OSA patients are overweight patients who have a history of snoring during the night, who feel tiredness and excessive sleep during the day.
lET ME KNOW IF i CAN FURTHER ASSIST YOU.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
The term apnea means lack of breathing. Sleep apnea means interruptions of breathing during sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea these interruptions of breathing happen because the upper airways which are more relaxed during sleep, collapse to the point of temporarily closing the passage of air completely, the transitory lack of oxygen leads to disrupted sleep. The lack of oxygen during sleep may even lead to seizures.
Most commonly it is related to obesity but may also happen in people who are born with narrow upper airways or who have issues such as polyps, chronic airway infection and allergies, deviation of the septum nasi etc. It is not directly inherited but since you may have a predisposition for the above factors you may have a predisposition for OSA as well.
Whether that is the case, whether you have it, I can't express an opinion on that regard as up to now you have said absolutely nothing about your actual symptoms. Typically OSA patients are overweight patients who have a history of snoring during the night, who feel tiredness and excessive sleep during the day.
lET ME KNOW IF i CAN FURTHER ASSIST YOU.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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