🔍 Peripheral Neuropathy: What Clinicians Should Know 🧠⚡
Peripheral neuropathy affects ~1% of adults worldwide, with diabetes accounting for more than half of all cases. The JAMA review highlights why length-dependent patterns dominate, how metabolic stress injures long axons first, and why sensory symptoms outpace motor loss. Evidence-based evaluation still begins with glucose testing, vitamin B12 with methylmalonic acid, and serum protein electrophoresis.
First-line therapies for neuropathic pain — gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine, and tricyclics — offer meaningful but often incomplete relief, reminding us that prevention and risk factor modification remain central.
A clear, elegant synthesis of mechanisms, diagnostics, and management — essential reading for anyone caring for patients with numbness, tingling, or burning feet. 👣✨
