Inflammatory neuropathies: update

This review focuses on recent neuroimmunological findings in autoimmune inflammatory neuropathies. In Guillain-Barré syndrome and paraneoplastic neuropathy most current investigations are centred on the hypothesis of molecular mimicry. In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and multifocal motor neuropathy the data on immunopathology are more fragmentary. Why and how patients with autoimmune inflammatory neuropathies raise an increased anti-self-reactivity and how this leads to disease remains a major challenge for future research.