What is the Difference Between Neuralgia and Neuritis

The key difference between neuralgia and neuritis is that neuralgia is a condition that results in nerve pain due to inflammation, injury, infection, damage, degeneration, or dysfunction of the nerves, while neuritis is a condition that results in the inflammation of a nerve or nerves due to injury or infection of viral or bacterial etiology. 

Neuralgia and neuritis are two associated conditions. This is because neuritis can be a major cause of neuralgia. Though neuralgia and neuritis share certain features, they are two distinct medical conditions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Neuralgia
3. What is Neuritis
4. Similarities – Neuralgia and Neuritis
5. Neuralgia vs Neuritis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Neuralgia vs Neuritis

What is Neuralgia?

Neuralgia is a condition that results in severe sharp, stabbing, or burning pain due to a damaged or irritated nerve. Neuralgia can occur as a result of neuritis. Common types of neuralgia include occipital neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and postherpetic neuralgia. The symptoms of this condition are sudden episodes of shooting or stabbing pain that follows the path of a damaged or irritated nerve, persistent stabbing or burning pain, tingling or numbness, and involuntary muscle cramping.

Moreover, neuralgia can be caused by damage or injury to a nerve, pressure on a nerve, changes in the way a nerve functions, infections (shingles), multiple sclerosis, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory diseases, medications prescribed for cancer, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, and trauma (injury or surgery).

Neuralgia is normally diagnosed through physical examinations, blood tests, MRIs, and nerve conduction velocity tests. Treatment options available for neuralgia are the management of blood sugar properly, physical therapy, nerve blocks, pain medications,  surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve, other medications such as capsaicin, antidepressants such as amitriptyline or nortriptyline, and antiseizure drugs such as carbamazepine.

What is Neuritis?

Neuritis is a condition that results in inflammation of the nerves. Neuritis does not always progress to neuropathy. The common types of neuritis may include optic, facial neuritis, brachial neuritis, and trigeminal neuritis. The common symptoms of this condition may include pain and tenderness, impaired sensation, numbness or hypersensitivity, impaired strength, problems with reflexes, abnormal circulation, and decreased ability to sweat in the areas of inflamed nerves. Moreover, neuritis can be caused by autoimmune diseases, infections, diabetes, toxic exposures, or direct injury or damage to nerves.

Neuritis is diagnosed by physical evaluation, nerve biopsy, electromyography, nerve conduction studies, fundoscopy, lumbar punctures, audiometry, eye examination, ultrasound, X-ray, and MRI. Furthermore, treatment options for neuritis may include analgesics, diuretic drugs, particular drugs that help improve blood circulation, steroid therapy, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antinausea drugs, physical therapy, and specific surgeries.

What are the Similarities Between Neuralgia and Neuritis?

• Neuralgia and neuritis are two associated conditions.
• Neuritis can be a major cause of
• Both these conditions can be caused by infections, autoimmune diseases, infections, diabetes, toxic exposures, or direct injury or damage to nerves.
• Both conditions may share similar features such as pain, reflexes problems, tingling, numbness, etc.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging testing.
• They can be treated through specific medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Neuralgia and Neuritis?

Neuralgia is a condition that results in nerve pain due to inflammation, injury, infection, damage, degeneration, or dysfunction of the nerves, while neuritis is a condition that results in the inflammation of a nerve or nerves due to injury or infection of viral or bacterial etiology. Thus, this is the key difference between neuralgia and neuritis. Furthermore, the common types of neuralgia may include occipital neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and postherpetic neuralgia. On the other hand, the common types of neuritis may include optic, facial neuritis, brachial neuritis, and trigeminal neuritis.

The below infographic presents the differences between neuralgia and neuritis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Neuralgia vs Neuritis

Neuralgia and neuritis are two associated medical conditions. Neuritis can be a major cause of neuralgia. They may share certain features. Moreover, both these conditions can be caused by infections, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, toxic exposures, or direct injury or damage to nerves. However, neuralgia is a condition of nerve pain that is due to inflammation, injury, infection, damage, degeneration, or dysfunction of the nerves, while neuritis is a condition that results in the inflammation of a nerve or nerves due to injury or infection of viral or bacterial etiology. So, this is the key difference between neuralgia and neuritis.

Reference:

1. Ellis, Mary Ellen. “Understanding Neuralgia, a Type of Nerve Pain.” Healthline.
2. “Neuritis – an Overview.” ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Trigeminal Neuralgia” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Left hand of a woman with general neuritis Wellcome L0061834” By Welcome Image Gallery (CC-BY-4.0) via Commons Wikimedia