Hypoesthesia

Hypoesthesia refers to a reduced sense of touch or sensation, numbness or a partial loss of sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Hypoesthesia or partial numbness occurs where and when an individual would expect to feel touch, vibration or change in temperature.

Hypoesthesia primarily results from damage to nerves, and from blockages in blood vessels, resulting in ischemic damage to tissues supplied by the blocked blood vessels. This damage is detectable through the use of various imaging studies. Damage in this way is caused by a variety of different illnesses and diseases.

Treatment of hypoethesia are aimed at treating the underlying disease or illnesses that has caused the hypoesthesia ¹.

Hypoesthesia causes

Hypoesthesia is primarily a result of damage to nerves or the result of damage to areas of tissue from lack of blood flow. Conditions which can cause hypoesthesia include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Diabetes
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Medications such as cancer treatment drugs, can cause tingling and numbness in a person’s hands. These side effects may be temporary or permanent.
• Spinal cord compression
• Brown-Sequard syndrome
• Trauma
• Stroke
• Overuse injuries
• Nerve compression or compression neuropathy
• Infection
• Medication-related side effect
• Multiple sclerosis
• Vitamin B-1 or thiamine deficiency
• Metabolic disorders
• Autoimmune disorders
• Raynaud’s disease
• Decompression sickness
• Trigeminal schwannoma
• Rhombencephalitis involves bacterial invasion of the brainstem and trigeminal nerve
• Intradural extramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord

Hypoesthesia symptoms

Hypoesthesia is experienced as partial numbness, a loss or reduction of sensation in the body. It may be in one part of the body, such as the feet, along one side of the body or in multiple areas. Hypoesthesia can be a symptom of an underlying condition.

References

1. Stylianos K, Konstantinos G, Pavlos P, Aliki F. Brachial branches of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve: A case report with its clinical significance and a short review of the literature [published correction appears in J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2017 Apr-Jun;8(2):323]. J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2016;7(3):443–446. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.182772 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4898116