CIDP Insights: Navigating Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

Difficulty Swallowing

Dysphagia is a term used to describe when an individual is not able to move food from their mouth to their esophagus (swallow) properly. Swallowing requires the collaboration and cooperation of numerous brain tissues, nerves, and muscles to carry out properly. Individuals affected by chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy may experience difficulty swallowing regularly. This problem can manifest in several ways, such as an inability to get liquid and food to go down the esophagus on the first try, the regurgitation of food or liquid after swallowing, unintentional weight loss from lack of proper nutrition, gagging when swallowing, choking when swallowing, and coughing when swallowing. The nerves that move the muscles responsible for contracting and forcing food and liquid down the throat can become damaged by CIDP, causing patients to have difficulty swallowing.

Clumsiness

Clumsiness is a symptom where an individual has poor movement ability, poor coordination, or poor muscle actions. The damage nerves incur in a CIDP patient due to the absence of myelin causes the muscles to be unable to work properly in the affected part of the body. Individuals affected by clumsiness as a result of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy tend to experience weakness in the legs that makes it difficult for them to walk and stand, tripping on any ground that is not perfectly flat, problems with stepping onto a curb due to a clumsy gait, an inability to climb up or downstairs, and an inability to stand from a sitting position. Individuals who experience clumsiness in their arms or hands due to chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy may experience problems with turning a key in a lock, issues with fastening buttons on clothing, difficulty when brushing their hair and teeth, and problems picking up small objects like coins or a pen.