Numbness is most often caused by damage, irritation or compression of nerves. A single nerve branch, or several nerves, may be affected, as with a slipped disc in the back or carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist. Certain diseases, such as diabetes, which can damage the longest, most sensitive nerve fibers (such as those going to your feet), can also cause numbness.

Usually, the affected nerves are located on the periphery of your body. Only rarely is numbness caused by problems in your brain or spinal cord. Numbness alone is only rarely associated with potentially life-threatening disorders, such as strokes or tumors.

Your doctor will need detailed information about your symptoms to diagnose the cause of your numbness. A variety of tests may be needed to confirm the cause before appropriate treatment can begin.

Causes of numbness:

1. Acoustic neuroma
2. Alcohol use disorder
3. Amyloidosis (buildup of abnormal proteins in your organs)
4. Brachial plexus injury
5. Brain aneurysm (a bulge in an artery in your brain)
6. Brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation) — an abnormal formation of brain blood vessels
7. Brain tumor
8. Carpal tunnel syndrome
9. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (a group of hereditary disorders that affects the nerves in your arms and legs)
10. Diabetes
11. Fabry's disease
12. Guillain-Barre syndrome
13. Heavy metal exposure
14. Herniated disk
15. Leprosy
16. Lyme disease
17. Multiple sclerosis
18. Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system
19. Peripheral nerve compression (ulnar or peroneal nerves)
20. Peripheral neuropathy
21. Porphyria
22. Raynaud's disease
23. Shingles (herpes zoster infection)
24. Side effects of chemotherapy or anti-HIV drugs
25. Sjogren's syndrome
26. Spinal cord injury
27. Spinal cord tumor
28. Stroke
29. Syphilis
30. Thoracic aortic aneurysm
31. Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
32. Vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation)
33. Vitamin B-12 deficiency

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Jan. 11, 2018