Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment in Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy | 1995, Volume 1 - Issue 1

Sevim ERDEM¹, Kubilay VARLI¹, Gülay NURLU¹, Okay SARIBAŞ², Ersin TAN¹

¹Hacettepe Üniverersitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Nöroloji Anabilim Dalı, ANKARA
²Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Nöroloji Anabilim Dalı ve Nöromusküler Hastalıklar Araştırma Laboratuvarı, ANKARA

Keywords: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Intravenous

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a peripheral nerve diseasewith a relapsing remitting or progressive course. The main clnical symptom is symmetricalpresentation of both proximal and distal weakness. It is thought to be an autoimmunedisorder. Increase in cerebrospinal fluid protein; slowing of motor and sensory nerveconcluction velecities ancl clemyelination with ınononuclear cell infiltration in sural nervebiopsies 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