← Return to Your Thoughts on a Foundation for Small-Fiber and Autonomic Neuropathy

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@cyp238ress

Ray,
I am aware of the Peripheral Neuropathy Association and donate to that foundation each month. There is another foundation called Dysautonomia International that focuses on autonomic dysfunction, with it seems a focus on POTS. However, there is not a foundation that I am aware of that focuses specifically on small-fiber neuropathy and related autonomic dysfunction and the immense pain and quality of life impact that it has.

The prevalence of SFN is, I theorize, far higher than posited by the medical establishment. There are studies demonstrating that many people diagnosed with fibromyalgia actually have SFN. This was proven via punch skin biopsy of the study participants, where 40-50% came back with reduced intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD), the gold standard for a definitive SFN diagnosis. Moreover, SFN is known to impact the GI tract and the heart, amongst other organs, yet many gastroenterologists and cardiologists do not suspect SFN when patients present with cryptic symptoms. Finally, there are reports of COVID causing several SFN cases, and many long-COVID studies are ongoing. I suspect that some people suffering from long-COVID have developed SFN. Given all of this, I do wonder whether a more focused foundation would get us closer to valuable research and therapeutics as compared to a foundation covering PN generally.

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Replies to "Ray, I am aware of the Peripheral Neuropathy Association and donate to that foundation each month...."

Hi there- I can relate to your experience. I have autonomic small fiber neuropathy (it’s the likely cause of my POTS, but there’s no way to prove this), and I was so upset after realizing I had peripheral neuropathy in the first place, then narrowing the diagnosis to small fiber neuropathy (which was actually misdiagnosed the first time), to find that despite the significant numbers of people affected, it’s so marginalized. By the time I got to diagnosis, it just felt like I got a collective “shrug.” There’s no cure and if the dysautonomia isn’t severe, it’s not “life-threatening,” so it seems not to matter to doctors. Or I get dismissed because it’s “outside the scope” of their expertise.

I suspect because of this, it’s not as lucrative for research or as a specialty area. More awareness could help—because it can be a struggle even to get doctors to realize someone can even have SFN without diabetes, post-chemotherapy, or B12 deficiency. I don’t know of a solution though…

You are spot on each point made, good job. In my opinion I have had some form of this most my life. I did not manifest into constant pain till I was 45. My best guess is the origin of my SFN began with a herpes simplex outbreak. According to my mother, this happened when I was in 1st grade. Hard to prove and most Doctors disregard that theory.