Understanding Critical Illness Polyneuropathy

2008-05-19 11:32:47

( Pharmeceutical-Medical )



Critical illness polyneuropathy, which is an anoxal disorder, affects the motor and sensory nerves of a person. Majority of septic patients are found to have this critical illness as well. It has also been found that the phrenic nerves are the most common part of the human body to have been severely involved in a critical illness polyneuropathy.

Adults are the majority of the patients who have critical illness polyneuropathy. However, recent trend shows that the occurrence of this critical illness is also found to be increasing among children. Some patients, who have undergone organ transplantation, also develop critical illness polyneuropathy.

Causes

The origin of critical illness polyneuropathy has not yet been determined and fully understood by experts in the medical profession. However, the use of high dosage of corticosteroids, neuromuscular blocking agents, and sepsis are some of the factors that are implicated in this critical illness.

There is also evidence that the development of critical illness polyneuropathy is strongly linked with increased levels of blood glucose and decreased levels of serum albumin. Both of these are metabolic manifestations of a sepsis and a multiple organ failure.

Treatment

If your loved-one has a critical illness polyneuropathy, then keep in mind that there is no available specific treatment for this condition. Health care professionals usually try to correct the underlying sepsis or organ failure, and the electrolyte abnormalities that are present in critical illness polyneuropathy. Drugs, such as corticosteroids, aminoglycosides, isoniazid and other potentially neuropathic medications must be discontinued.

Some physicians would also recommend that vitamin deficiency, such as lack of thiamine or pyridoxine, must be part of the treatment program of a critical illness polyneuropathy patient. While recovery from this particular disorder may be limited or even nil in severe cases, some patients have responded with slow spontaneous improvement to treatments.


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