What are the symptoms of polyneuritis?

As a patient, you should pay attention to the symptoms of polyneuritis. Usually, there will be sensory disturbances, movement disorders and autonomic dysfunction, so we can judge these diseases by the manifestation of these symptoms, especially when numbness and unstable standing occur, you must be vigilant.

1. Sensory impairment:

In the early stage, the symptoms are usually burning pain, numbness, and other paresthesias or hyperesthesias at the finger (or toe) tips. Gradually, the sensation decreases and even disappears. The distribution of sensory disturbances is like a glove or a sock. A few patients may have deep sensory disturbances. There is often tenderness in the gastrocnemius muscles.

2. Movement disorders:

The symptoms include tight muscle weakness, low muscle tone, weakened or absent tendon reflexes. In some cases (such as furazolidone), the reflexes may be active. After a long illness, there may be muscle atrophy. After strenuous exercise, the legs may feel uncomfortable, which may be manifested as numbness, unstable standing, and soreness and numbness in the ankles.

3. Autonomic dysfunction:

The skin on the extremities becomes cool, pale, flushed or slightly cyanotic, with little or excessive sweating; the skin becomes dry, thin, tender or rough; the nails lose their normal luster, and keratinization increases.

Due to different causes, the manifestations of the above three groups of symptoms may be different. For example, the pain caused by furazolidone poisoning and arsenic poisoning is often more severe; muscle atrophy caused by diabetes is sometimes more obvious, and the severity of the clinical manifestations is also inconsistent. In mild cases, there may be only pain and numbness in the extremities without sensory loss or movement disorders, while in severe cases, there may be limb paralysis.