New Health Guide
Tingling is an abnormal sensation. It can be felt in a specific body part, or occasionally all over the body. The sensation is felt like pins and needles pricking in the body, which is usually transient and gets better with changing the posture. It is usually caused by reduced blood supply or nerve compression and is experienced more in advanced age. Occasional tingling is usually harmless but some medical conditions can lead to a more severe form of tingling which does not get better with changing position or moving around.
Anxiety can produce a diverse array of symptoms, including a tingling sensation all over the body. When a person is stressed or anxious, the body releases a lot of stress hormones. These hormones prepare the body to deal with any threat. This mechanism is called fight or flight mechanism. During this process the blood supply to all the vital organs increases,whilethat to less important organs iscompromised. This can lead to a feeling of pins and needles.
When this occurs over and over again the body stays in a hyper stimulated state and the feeling does not vanish away completely. Anxiety also leads to hyperventilation which can precipitate this sensation of tingling.
Nerves carry the messages from brain to various body parts. When, due to any reason, the nerve gets trapped or compressed, false signals can be conveyed, which result in a tingling sensation. When the nerve supplying the hand is compressed, in carpal tunnel syndrome, pins and needles are felt in the hand. The same thing occurs after prolonged sitting. Herniated discs, tumors and muscle spasm can also put pressure on nerves and lead to tingling sensation.
In autoimmune diseases, the body identifies its own parts as foreign objects and starts to destroy them. These diseases can affect any part of the body and damage the nerves resulting in a tingling sensation or a feeling of pins and needles stuck in the body. Most common autoimmune diseases which can cause this symptom are SLE, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
When the blood supply to any area of the body is compromised altered sensations are experienced.
Some infections can result in a feeling of tingling all over body. HIV, herpes, Lyme disease and shingles can damage the nerves and cause altered sensations. Other less common infections which can damage the nerves and lead to similar symptoms are rabies, syphilis and leprosy.
Some medicines can damage the nerves and a feeling of pins and needles can arise as a side effect. Chemotherapy medications like cisplatin, carboplatin and paclitexil are neurotoxic and can cause neuropathy. Anti viral medicines used for treatment of HIV are also known to cause neuropathy.
Warning: Most of the times tingling sensation is not dangerous. However, if it is getting worst, or there is fever,rash, slurring of speech or any other neurological deficit, urgent medical attention is necessary.
The ideal treatment for tingling is the correction of underlying disease process. Therefore it is very important to ascertain the cause of tingling. Your physician can advise various tests to determine the exact reason for this uncomfortable feeling.
