Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island - Autonomic neuropathy - Diabetes Center

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Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island - Autonomic neuropathy - Diabetes Center
Updated: April 15, 2008
By Mayo Clinic Health Solutions staff

Causes

Autonomic neuropathy can be caused by a large number of diseases and conditions or as a side effect of treatment for diseases unrelated to the nervous system. Some common causes of autonomic neuropathy include:

* Alcoholism, a chronic, progressive disease that can lead to nerve damage.
* Abnormal protein buildup in organs (amyloidosis), which affects the organs and the nervous system.
* Autoimmune diseases, in which your immune system attacks and damages parts of your body, including your nerves. This includes an abnormal attack by the immune system that occurs as a result of some cancers (paraneoplastic syndromes).
* Diabetes, which can gradually cause nerve damage throughout the body.
* Multiple system atrophy, a degenerative disorder that leads to loss and malfunction of some portions of the central nervous system.
* Injury to nerves caused by surgery or trauma.
* Treatment with certain medications, including some drugs used in cancer chemotherapy and anticholinergic drugs, sometimes used to treat irritable bowel syndrome and overactive bladder.
* Other chronic illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease and HIV/AIDS.

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