Joined: 02 Nov 2006 Posts: 17 Location: New Jersey
10-year Old Brother Diagnosed With... Posted: 02-08-07 19:22pm
My 10-year old baby brother has been
showing signs of nerve problems since the
age of about 8-years or so. Over the past
couple of months, his diagnosis has
changed many times. Doctor's first said
he had muscular dystrophy, specifically a
disease [abbreviated] cmt. Then it was
thought to be some form of childhood
cancer. Recently, his new diagnosis is
small fiber bilateral neuropathy.
I don't live with my family anymore nor do
we live close to one another, but from
what my mother has been telling me over
the phone, small fiber bilateral
neuropathy isn't common in children, it's
more common in men age 25-yr's &
older.
I've been searching for more information
regarding this disease online, but have
come up short & still remain confused.
If anyone knows anything of this disease,
please respond. Thank you very much.
It's appreciated.
|
Best Aunt EVA
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Jul 2007 Posts: 27
Posted: 07-14-07 02:10am
Small fiber peripheral neuropathy is a
type of neuropathy. It is also called
small fiber neuropathy, small fiber
sensory neuropathy (SFSN), and C fiber
neuropathy. Small nerve fibers are the
nerve fibers near the skin's surface,
which is why the symptoms deal with
sensation. Usually the symptoms start in
the feet and lower legs.
The symptoms are insensitivity to heat
and/or cold, tingling, numbness, muscle
weakness, cramps, pain, and other
symptoms. People describe the pain as an
ice pick being poked into bone, like an
electric shock, or walking on broken
glass. Sometimes the pain causes a loss in
the ability to feel when injury occurs, so
one may be bleeding or have a skin injury
and not even know it.
Unfortunately it is a disorder diagnosed
by ruling out everything else. In fact,
electromyography (EMG tests), which are
good in diagnosing other neuropathies are
usually not good in detecting small fiber
neuropathies. In some cases it can be
diagnosed by biopsy, but that would still
not affect treatment of the symptoms.
Sometimes the disorder is caused by
diabetes or alcoholism, but most of the
time it is idiopathic. Since there are no
known causes for most cases and most tests
do not identify it, not much money is
spent on curing idiopathic cases.
There is no current treatment to cure
small fiber peripheral neuropathy, but
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is often
used as well as plasmapheresis. For forms
caused by diabetes or toxins those
underlying condition are treated to reduce
progression of the disease and symptoms.
For cases without those conditions there
is only treatment of the symptoms
