CHRONIC
INFLAMMATORY DEMYELINATING POLYNEUROPATHY AND INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN TREATMENT
Sevim Erdem, Kubilay Varli, Gülay Nurlu, Okay Saribas, Ersin Tan Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a peripheral nerve disease with a relapsing remitting or progressive course. The main clnical symptom is symmetrical presentation of both proximal and distal weakness. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. Increase in cerebrospinal fluid protein; slowing of motor and sensory nerve conduction velecities and demyelination with mononuclear cell infiltration in sural nerve biopsies confirm the diagnosis. Steroids and other immunsupressive agents, plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) are the most effective therapeutic agents. We present 10 steroid unresponsive CIDP patients (4 female, 6 male) who were treated with IVIg in Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine within 2 years. Although the patients had an initial good response to the therapy, they required maintenence therapy |