Blood supply-related and Other Causes
Numbness and tingling could also result due to a problem with blood supply to a particular part, or a systemic disease.
Causes of numbness and tingling associated with reduced blood supply are:
- Migraine: A migraine headache is a one-sided headache caused due to alteration in blood supply to the head. The symptoms may spread from one part of the body to the adjacent regions.
- Stroke: Stroke results in reduced blood supply to a part of the brain. Consequently, the part of the body controlled by that part of the brain gets affected, often resulting in paralysis. The sensory nerves may also get affected, resulting in a feeling of numbness. In some cases, the stroke brings about temporary symptoms; this type of stroke is referred to as a transient ischemic attack.
- Raynaud’s phenomenon: Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition where the blood vessels of the fingers and toes undergo spasm when exposed to cold or under certain emotional conditions. It commonly affects smokers and people with certain disease conditions like arthritis and frostbite. The numbness may be accompanied by pain and sometimes ulcers.
- Atherosclerosis: Atherosclerosis is a condition where the blood supply through an artery is reduced due to plaque formation. Atherosclerosis may cause tingling and numbness if the blood supply to a limb is affected, especially while walking.
Other causes of numbness and tingling are:
Systemic diseases: Other disease conditions can also result in tingling and numbness. These include:
- Kidney disorders: Kidney diseases result in high levels of metabolites like urea and abnormal levels of electrolytes like calcium, potassium, or sodium. These could give rise to a feeling of tingling and numbness.
- Liver disease: Liver disease could result in accumulation of toxic substances in the blood that affect nerve function.
- Hormonal conditions: Hormonal conditions including hypothyroidism could cause abnormal sensations.
- Other diseases like HIV/AIDS, Guillain-Barre syndrome, lupus, sarcoidosis and rheumatoid arthritis are also associated with tingling and numbness.
- Psychiatric causes: Psychiatric causes are often associated with numbness especially of a part of the face.
- Miscellaneous causes: Radiation therapy and bites from insects or animals could result in numbness and tingling. Bites may also cause additional symptoms of swelling, redness and localized pain.