Epidermal Nerve Fiber Density

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
SENSORY NEUROPATHY is a relatively common neurologic condition that can complicate, among other disorders, diabetes mellitus, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and cancer chemotherapy, or can occur spontaneously. The frequency of neuropathy in diabetes mellitus is 66%,1 and in human immunodeficiency virus infection, the annual incidence of sensory neuropathy is 7%.2 The small-caliber C and Ad nerve fibers that innervate the skin are involved in many of these sensory neuropathies. Diseases of these fibers can contribute to neuropathic pain or the loss of protective sensation, with painless injuries. Currently, few objective measures are available for the assessment of small-caliber sensory fibers. The limitations of our current means of assessing these fibers have been an impediment to studies of the natural course and therapeutic responses in sensory neuropathies or in the sensory component of sensorimotor polyneuropathies. As the number of potential therapies increases, especially neurotrophic factors targeted for specific fiber classes, so will the need for improved techniques for the practical structural assessment of the various fiber classes.