[The extent of the clinical manifestations of chronic polyradiculoneuropathy]

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is an autoimmune disease that target myelin sheats of peripheral nerves. Its diagnosis is often difficult to make, and a number of cases are probably not identified because of the clinical heterogeneity. Numerous sets of diagnostic criteria have sought to define CIDP but clinical criteria are generally not detailed.

To review the main clinical characteristics suggestive of CIDP (that means not compatible with a length-dependent axonal process) and the critical clinical points of the neuropathy which make the differential diagnosis with the main other forms of chronic auto immune neuropathy sometimes difficult.

The main clinical characteristic are: a symmetric proximal and distal motor weakness predominantly affecting the lower limbs, a diffuse areflexia, a sensory deficit characterized by a preferential involvement of large fibers, an evolution which may be either chronic progressive or recurrent. These aspects raise many questions concerning overlap with other inflammatory neuropathies such as Guillain Barre syndrome, Lewis-Sumner neuropathy, chronic ataxic neuropathy. The distinction of a subgroup of CIDP associated with other diseases such as diabetes or HIV are also controversial.

The growing body of knowledge on the pathogenesis of CIDP and clinical or electrophysiological differentiation of subforms may help to develop more effective therapies for CIDP in the next few years.