Get latest articles and stories on Science at LatestLY. Each year, more than 3 million people in the United States suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a condition in which nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are destroyed, resulting in pain and loss of feeling in the afflicted areas. Diabetes, injuries, genetically inherited disease, infection, and other factors can all cause peripheral neuropathy. Science News | Researchers Give Insight into Repairing Nerve Cells After Injury, in Chronic Disease.