Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common diseases most people never heard of and yet, upwards of 20 million Americans have it It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe neuropathy. That fact alone is staggering. Other causes include vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, kidney, liver or thyroid disorders, cancer and a variety of other medical conditions.

According to the Neuropathy Association the extent and importance of peripheral neuropathy has not yet been adequately recognized. The disease is apt to be misdiagnosed, or thought to be...

Peripheral neuropathy affects 10 to 20 million people in the U.S, including ten per cent of all people who have diabetes. This condition has numerous causes, but can be associated with diseases such as HIV, alcoholism, and lupus, and may result from treatments for other medical conditions, such as cancer chemotherapy. Symptoms include pain, numb...

Plasma cell dyscrasias are common causes of peripheral neuropathy. Peri pheral neuropathy may be the first manifestation of multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Peripheral neuropathy occurs in more than one-half of patients with osteosclerotic myeloma. The hematologic disorders are such an important association with peripheral polyneuropathy that, for the last decade, we have obtained a metastatic bone survey and immunoelectrophoresis of serum and a 24-hour urine specimen on all patients older than 40 years with undiagnosed peripheral...