Canadian family physician Médecin de famille canadien
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Polyneuropathy is characterized by simultaneous bilateral symmetrical involvement of peripheral nerves. Clinical features in fully-developed cases are paresthesias, irregular 'glove and stocking' cutaneous sensory loss, loss of deep sensations, weakness of distal muscles of extremities, and absent deep tendon reflexes. The most common forms of neuropathy encountered in practice are -- alcohol-induced, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and that secondary to diabetes mellitus. Since PN has many causes, a scheme based on clinical features is presented so that the possibilities can be narrowed and pursued with further investigations.