20 Little-Known Steps to Outsmart Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

9. Patient Prognosis

The prognosis of a chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy patient is difficult to determine because it presents with a variety of different clinical evolutions and patterns. A young patient who has less pain at the onset of their chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy will have a better long term outcome than an older patient who experiences more pain. Poor functional outcome in an individual affected by chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy is associated with the finding of axonal loss on a nerve biopsy. Individuals affected by the chronic progressive course of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy are known to have a worse prognosis than patients affected by the relapsing course of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy patients respond in various ways to different treatment methods. The efficacy of treatment is highly dependent upon how progressive the disorder is at the time of diagnosis.

10. Connection To Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a condition where an individual's peripheral nerves develop an acute inflammatory disease characterized by symptoms that develop suddenly and progress rapidly. This syndrome is caused by an inappropriate and abnormal reaction by an individual's immune system, where it attacks the protective myelin sheathing around the nerves. Most individuals affected by Guillain-Barre syndrome recover without a problem and do not experience long-term or persistent symptoms. However, some Guillain-Barre syndrome patients may experience a permanent alteration of their immune system, where it continues to destroy myelin sheaths slowly and progressively. This alteration that occurs in an affected individual's immune system causes long-term symptoms that can be characterized as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.