What is Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)?

How is CIDP Diagnosed?

The CIDP patient typically presents with difficulty walking which progressively worsens over a few months. Tingling or other abnormal sensations may also be experienced if the patient�s sensory nerve myelin is damaged. Physical examination will usually show loss of reflexes, such as the knee and ankle jerk. Evaluation by a neurologist will often include an electrical test, a nerve conduction velocity-electromyography study. It shows slowing of conduction of electrical signals or even blocked conduction. A spinal tap, to analyze cerebrospinal fluid, will typically show elevated protein with normal cells to help confirm the diagnosis. Patients with variants of CIDP, such as multifocal motor neuropathy, may only show slowing of conduction in some motor nerves to muscles. Your doctor may obtain blood and urine tests, including analysis of proteins, to look for causes of CIDP.

How is CIDP Treated?

Several treatment options are available. Prednisone, similar to protective anti-inflammatory corticosteroids that are normally made by the body, may be used as an initial treatment for several reasons. It often improves strength, can be conveniently taken by mouth and is inexpensive. Side effects can limit its use. Two other approaches have often been found helpful. High dose intravenous immune globulins (IVIG), protective blood proteins obtained from healthy volunteers, can be readily given through an arm vein. In another treatment, called plasma exchange (PE), or plasmapheresis, some of the patient�s blood is removed and the blood cells returned without the liquid plasma portion of the patient�s blood. It may work by removing harmful antibodies contained in the plasma. Treatment of CIDP is somewhat of an art. If a patient shows good improvement with an initial treatment but again evolves weakness it may be repeated or another therapy may be tried.

What Causes CIDP?

Current theory holds that the body�s immune system which normally protects it, perceives myelin as foreign and attacks it. Just what starts this process is not clear. Some patients are found to have abnormal proteins in their blood, and these may facilitate damage.