Disability and health status in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a disorder affecting the peripheral nerves. The purpose of this study was to describe disability and health status in patients with CIDP in Sweden.

All 22 adult patients with CIDP at the Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge were invited to participate. Twenty-one patients performed all measures. Their mean age was 54 years. The following measures were used: vibration perception threshold (VPT); the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS); the Berg Balance Scale; finger dexterity using the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT); functional mobility using the Timed 'Up and Go' Test; health status with the SF-36 questionnaire.

Fifty-seven per cent of the patients had a higher thumb and ankle VPT than published normative data. The FSS showed that 38% scored over 5, indicating severe fatigue. The majority of the patients had reduced functional balance. Sixty-two per cent had a subnormal result on the NHPT. Results of the SF-36 showed lower scores than the Swedish norm on the sub-scales describing physical health.

The majority of the patients with CIDP had disabilities and decreased physical health status. The presence of fatigue may be taken into consideration in immunomodulatory treatments and during physical rehabilitation.