Polyneuropathy

What is polyneuropathy?

Polyneuropathies, PNP for short, are generalised disorders of the peripheral nervous system. They affect individually or in combination the motor, sensory and vegetative nerves, the sheath-like structures of their connective tissue and the blood vessels, which supply them. Motor nerve fibres conduct instructions to the muscles. Sensory nerve fibres conduct sensations from the skin, neuromuscular spindles, tendons and joints to the spinal cord. Vegetative or autonomous nerve fibres innervate the internal organs, the blood vessels and the sweat glands in the skin.

Acute or chronic neuropathy?

Polyneuropathies are differentiated according to the rapidity of their onset: acute = within 4 weeks, subacute 4-8 weeks, chronic more than 8 weeks). A further differentiating feature is the type of distribution. The most frequent type is distal-symmetrical polyneuropathy, i.e. affecting the hands and feet, proximal affecting the proximal regions and cranial the cerebral nerves. In addition there is differentiation of the types of nerve fibres affected. Depending on this, physicians speak about sensory, motor, combined sensory-motor or autonomous polyneuropathy.

Your contact person

Head office

Contact us - Head office


Contact us now !