Treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy with intravenous immunoglobulin

✍ Scribed by Dr. David R. Cornblath; Vinay Chaudhry; John W. Griffin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 305 KB
• Volume: 30
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0364-5134
• DOI: 10.1002/ana.410300119

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy is an immune‐mediated demyelinating peripheral neuropathy usually treated with immunosuppressants. We reviewed our experience treating 15 patients (9 men, 6 women) with intravenous immunoglobulin. Six patients were on other therapies at the time of intravenous immunoglobulin infusions (4, prednisone; 2, prednisone and azathioprine). The dose of intravenous immunoglobulin was either 0.3 or 0.4 gm/kg/day for 4 to 5 days. Transient fever occurred in 1 patient. Subjective improvement in sensory symptoms was reported by almost all patients. Objective improvements in strength or functional tasks occurred in only 3 patients, a man with human immunodeficiency virus infection, a 14‐year‐old girl, and a woman with an immunoglobulin G kappa paraprotein. Our results suggest that individual patients may respond to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. A multicenter controlled trial is needed to assess properly the role of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.