The treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is an inflammatory disorder of nerve that usually presents with slowly progressive weakness and sensory loss and areflexia. It is among the most treatable of the peripheral nerve disorders, and several modalities have been shown to be effective in prospective, randomized controlled trials. Although most patients show a gratifying early response to treatment, in many cases the patients relapse. The cumulative effects of the neuropathic impairments, along with side effects from long-term immunosuppressive treatment, combine to produce significant long-term morbidity and loss of function. This review will cover the epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory findings, and pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy; the current status of the treatment of this disorder will be reviewed, highlighting those therapies shown to be effective in randomized controlled trials.