Healthcare utilization and productivity losses associated with CIDP: results from an international survey

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), a rare autoimmune disorder affecting peripheral nerves, is associated with substantial societal costs. This study assesses healthcare utilization and productivity losses across varying levels of patient disability.

Data were obtained from Adelphi's CIDP Disease Specific Programme™ (September 2022-April 2023), a digital, international, real-world survey involving neurologists and their patients (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain). Disability was measured using the Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT; range: 0-10), and categorized as mild (≤2), moderate (3-4), or severe (≥5). Neurologists provided data on treatment, informal care, hospitalizations, mobility aids, and home modifications for 542 patients, while lost productivity was reported by a subset of patients (n = 199). Associations between disability level and healthcare utilization and lost productivity were evaluated using linear regression, adjusting for age and time since diagnosis.

Of the 542 patients, 236 (43.5%) had mild, 189 (34.9%) moderate, and 117 (21.6%) severe disability. Treatment rates increased with severity (receiving treatment: mild 78.4%, moderate 89.9%, severe 92.3%; p < 0.001). The proportion of patients receiving informal care rose sharply with increasing disability (mild 7.2%, moderate 31.2%, severe 62.9%; p < 0.001). Hospitalizations in the 12 months prior to the survey were more frequent with greater disability (mild 7.0%, moderate 14.5%, severe 21.6%; p < 0.001), as were emergency admissions (1.0, 9.9, 13.7% respectively; p < 0.001) and ICU stays (0.0, 0.7, 3.9% respectively; p = 0.001). The use of mobility aids (19.1, 56.1, 89.7% respectively) and home modifications (12.8, 45.8, 74.2% respectively) also rose significantly with severity (p < 0.001 for both). Finally, work productivity losses among employed patients and activity impairment rose as disability increased (average percentage of productivity loss: mild 21.8%, moderate 44.0%, severe: 67.3%, p < 0.001; average daily activity impairment: mild 28.6%, moderate: 44.6%, severe: 68.1%, p < 0.001).

CIDP is associated with substantial healthcare utilization that increases with increasing disability, highlighting the progressive functional decline associated with more severe disease. In addition to direct healthcare demands, CIDP imposes considerable caregiver support needs, changes in living conditions, and productivity losses. Together, these findings underscore the wide-ranging impact of CIDP and the need for comprehensive management strategies.