Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy in diabetic patients

Abstract

This retrospective analysis was undertaken to determine whether a subset of diabetic patients with demyelinating polyneuropathy were similar to patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Ten patients meeting the clinical criteria for idiopathic CIDP were compared to nine patients with diabetes and demyelinating polyneuropathy. The diabetic patients with demyelinating polyneuropathy displayed clinical, electrophysiologic, and histologic features that were similar to those in CIDP patients. All six patients with diabetes and demyelinating polyneuropathy who were treated with immunomodulatory therapy showed a favorable response. Our study highlights the importance of investigating diabetic patients with polyneuropathy in an attempt to identify patients with demyelinating polyneuropathy, because of the likelihood of benefit in these patients from immunomodulatory treatment.

Diabetic Somatic Neuropathies

“…CIDP Diabetic patients occasionally develop clinical and electrodiagnostic features suggestive of CIDP (29). It is important to recognize that this subgroup, unlike those with diabetic polyneuropathy, is treatable (135). Many of the clinical, electrophysiological, and nerve biopsy criteria are not sufficiently helpful in the differential diagnosis of these two conditions.…”

Incidence and prevalence of CIDP and the association of diabetes mellitus

“…Other authors have suggested that DM occurs at an increased frequency in CIDP [12][13][14][15][16] ; however, confirmation based on epidemiologic study data is needed to support such an association.…”

Not all neuropathy in diabetes is of diabetic etiology: Differential diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy

“…Some reports have drawn attention to a possible association between CIDP and diabetes [47,48]. In contrast to these studies, a recent epidemiologic study, based on a record review of 1581 patients, suggested that diabetes mellitus was unlikely to be a major risk factor for CIDP.…”