Numbness or altered sensation
Localise first (nerve, root, polyneuropathy, cord, brainstem, thalamus or cortex), recognise the emergencies (GBS, cord compression, cauda equina, stroke), and the neuropathy blood screen with its Australian traps such as vitamin B6 and nitrous oxide.
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Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Localise before investigating. The pattern of sensory loss usually tells you the level: nerve, root, plexus, polyneuropathy, cord, brainstem, thalamus or cortex.
- Emergencies: Guillain-Barré syndrome, spinal cord compression, cauda equina syndrome and stroke or TIA.
- The commonest causes in practice are diabetic polyneuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome and radiculopathy.
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Sources
- Distal symmetric polyneuropathy: a review (Callaghan BC, Price RS, Feldman EL. JAMA 2015;314:2172-81)JAMA, 2015
- European Academy of Neurology/Peripheral Nerve Society guideline on diagnosis and treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome (van Doorn PA et al. Eur J Neurol 2023;30:3646-74)European Academy of Neurology and Peripheral Nerve Society, 2023
- Australian evidence-based guidelines for diabetes-related foot diseaseAU/NZDiabetes Feet Australia (Australian Diabetes Society), 2021
- Therapeutic Guidelines: NeurologyAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), current eTG edition (version not verified)
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback