Infections
Viruses, bacteria, and other pathological agents and microorganisms sometimes invade the body, infecting various organs and causing mild to severe nervous system problems, eventually leading to peripheral neuropathy. These invasive pathogens then infect different pathways triggering inflammatory responses that disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the endothelial cells (ECs) and the neurons and glial cells, leading to activated monocyte-macrophage cells and subsequent clustering and damage of the neuronal cells.
In some cases, the chronic dysfunction and pathogenic infections of the neuronal cells trigger an immune response that directly damages and inflames one or more central and peripheral nerves. These pathogens cannot attack the nerves directly. However, they often cause neurological infections or cause immune responses that trigger pathological signs, resulting in nerve inflammation or nerve damage when the condition triggers an immune response that attacks the nerves.
Some of the most common bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections that cause the clinical manifestations of peripheral neuropathy include West Nile, Shingles, Meningitis, Lyme disease, diphtheria, syphilis, Epstein-Barr virus, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis C, COVID-19, and leprosy.
