Introduction:

peripheral neuropathies comprise a wide range of entities affecting one or multiple peripheral nerves in any of their functional categories.

Methods:

review of the literature on the subject, by searching for articles in Pubmed and Google Scholar databases published in the last 21 years, without language restriction, excluding descriptive studies and case reports.

Results:

peripheral neuropathies have a prevalence of 2 % to 3 %, and can be caused by infectious etiologies, inflammatory diseases, immunological, neoplastic disorders, exposure to toxins, drugs and nutritional deficiencies. Their diagnosis depends on clinical judgment. The application of laboratory and electrodiagnostic studies can adequately classify these entities. Treatment depends on the underlying entity and should include a multimodal approach.

Conclusions:

establishing strategies for prevention, early detection and treatment allows for potential recovery and decreases costs for the health system.

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