Abstract
Introduction/Aims: We hypothesized that early, pretreatment axonal loss would predict long-term disability, supported by a pilot study of selected patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). To further test this hypothesis, we examined a larger consecutive group of CIDP patients. Methods: Needle electromyography and motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were carried out in 30 CIDP patients at pretreatment and follow-up 5 to 28 years later. Changes in amplitudes were expressed as axonal Z scores and changes in conduction as demyelination Z scores and correlated with findings of the Inflammatory Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (I-RODS), the Neuropathy Impairment Score (NIS), and isokinetic dynamometry (IKS). Results: At follow-up, the median I-RODS score was 73, the NIS was 23, and the IKS was 56%. The median axonal Z score was unchanged at follow-up. Conversely, the corresponding demyelination Z scores improved. The initial axonal loss was correlated with the clinical outcome and was an independent predictor of outcome by multivariate regression analysis. Axonal loss at follow-up was also correlated with the clinical outcome. Only the follow-up demyelination Z score was correlated with the clinical outcomes. Furthermore, the latency until treatment initiation was predictive of all three clinical outcome scores at follow-up, and of axonal loss and demyelination at follow-up. Discussion: The present study findings indicate that pretreatment axonal loss at diagnosis in CIDP is predictive of long-term disability, neurological impairment, and strength. A delay in treatment is associated with more pronounced axonal loss and a worse clinical outcome.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Muscle and Nerve |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 6 |
Pages (from-to) | 715-722 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 0148-639X |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 The Authors. Muscle & Nerve published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Keywords
- axonal loss
- electrophysiological examination
- long-term follow-up
- prediction of CIDP
- prognosis