Summary: Peripheral neuropathy constitutes one of the most common symptoms in clinical neurology, with incidence of approx. 2.5% of the general population, and frequency increasing with age. In Poland the most common risk factors of neuropathy are diabetes, alcohol dependency and iatrogenic therapy, with numerous different clinical symptoms and signs. It is assumed that in diabetic neuropathy both myelin sheet and central nerve fiber are damaged, while Wallerian degeneration dominates in alcoholic neuropathy. In the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy a major role is played by free radicals oversynthesis, which is connected with oxidative stress and excessive sorbitol and fructose accumulation; both these phenomena are the results of hyperglycemia. In the pathogenesis of alcoholic neuropathy the most important role is played by thiamine deficiency. Thiamine in its natural form is a water-soluble substance and easily absorbed in the upper part of the small intestine. Next, the vitamin is phosphorylated to its active form - thiamine pyrophosphate, an active cofactor of such reactions as glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and amino acid metabolism. In Central Europe the subpopulations that are especially at risk of thiamine deficiency are: alcoholics, patients with intestine absorption problems, and pregnant and breast-feeding mothers. The pharmacodynamically more active forms of thiamine, dissolved in lipid media, seem to be more promising in the therapy of vitamin B1 deficiency. One of these forms is benfotiamine, which after oral administration is much more highly concentrated in tissues than more classic forms. Because of these features, benfotiamine is highly recommended by the Polish Diabetic Society as one of the main therapeutic options in many forms of diabetic neuropathy.