HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Web-only appendices Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Overell, J. R Articles by Willison, H. J Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Overell, J. R Articles by Willison, H. J

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: classification and treatment options

Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr J Overell, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 4TF, UK
j.overell@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an uncommon and probably underdiagnosed disorder that often results in appreciable disability. Its importance lies in its generally good response to treatment. Although it is often contextualised by neurologists as "a chronic form of Guillain-Barré syndrome" (GBS), this oversimplifies the relationship between the two disorders: there is more to the distinction than one taking longer than the other to present and develop. Because CIDP is treatable, and because treatment is complex, largely non-evidence based, and potentially toxic, it is an important disorder to understand. The clinical spectrum is broad, but clinical subclassification is worthwhile, because it informs treatment decisions—certain subtypes respond better to certain treatment options, and some subtypes don’t respond well, if at all. We will discuss the clinical presentation and suggest a simple and practical classification system as a step towards rationalising the many different immunomodulatory strategies available.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

When should the clinician . . . [Full text of this article]