Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

The syndrome of acute inflammatory idiopathic polyneuropathy is well known, the predominently motor type of which is recognised by the name of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), in which the maximum neurological deficit develops rapidly in days, plateaus for weeks and then subsides with the recovery occurring in weeks to months. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) has earned a comparatively recent recognition over the last 30 years or so. Its characteristics and diagnostic criteria have been described and are undergoing refinement with time. Its importance is underscored by the fact that it represents about 21% of all initially undiagnosed neuropathies. CIDP shares with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, the features of dcniyclination and mononuclear infiltration of peripheral nerves and its cytoalbuminologic dissociation in the cerebrospinal fluid. It differs in temporal evolution, course and prognosis and in its response to treatment. Although the earlier descriptions of cases of Gulllain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) contain some patients who had a slower onset of disease and a protracted course, Austin is crcdited with first highlighting the disorder and indicating its responsiveness to corticosteroids. He described two cases of recurrent polyncuropathy and received thirty others with a similar case history going back to 1894. For a longtime, there were many different terminologies used by different authors to describe this disorder including chronic Guillain-Barre Syndrome, chronic relapsing neuropathy, recurrent and chronic relapsing Guillain-Barre Polyneuritis, relapsing motor polyneuropathy. and steroid responsive recurrent polyneuropathy. The term Chronic Inflammatory Polyradiculoneuropathy was first used by Dyck et al who described natural history and pathological features of the disease in a large series of patients. Later on, the word demyelinating was added by him. Since then many other scientists have described their experience with the condition and a few large series have been published. Recently a consensus report on research criteria for diagnosis of CIDP has come out.