WHAT CAUSES PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY? While diabetes is the most common cause, several other factors can lead to nerve damage: - Vitamin deficiencies like B1, B6 and B12 - Alcoholism - Infections like HIV, shingles and Lyme disease - Autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis - Medications like chemotherapy and some antibiotics - Injury or nerve compression. However, peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes (Diabetic peripheral neuropathy), is the most common type. WHY IS DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY SO DANGEROUS? Imagine stepping on a sharp object but not feeling it. Thats what happens when neuropathy sets in. Over time, numbness plus poor circulation = foot ulcers that don’t heal. Without proper treatment, these ulcers become infected, leading to gangrene (dead tissue). At this stage, amputation becomes the only option.