CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) is a neurological disorder; a disease that targets the nervous system. With CIDP, swelling can destroy the protective covering around nerves, known as myelin. Damage to myelin can slow nerves’ ability to send signals, causing weakness, pain, fatigue, and numbness.

CIDP features weakness that can recur, repeatedly, over the course of years.

Symptoms

Initial symptoms of CIDP include weakness of arms and legs, difficulty walking, foot drop, fatigue, and tingling or numbness, often beginning in the toes and fingers.

Recovery

Most CIDP patients respond well to therapy if treated early. Treatments can limit nerve damage, contribute to improved quality of life, and sometimes cure the disorder altogether.

However, left untreated, 30% of CIDP patients will progress to wheelchair dependence.

The three first line treatments for CIDP are corticosteroids, high-dose intravenous immune globulins (IVIG), and plasma exchange, or plasmapheresis.

Cause

Doctors think CIDP is an autoimmune disease, meaning a disease where a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own body. Experts don’t know exactly what triggers it, but it could be a reaction to an infection or a vaccine, and may be related to an initial case of GBS.

As with other autoimmune diseases like GBS, AIDP, and ADEM, CIDP sometimes follows a vaccine.

Related disorder

GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome) is a rare disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks part of their nervous system. The most common type of GBS seen in the United States is AIDP (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy).

Contact Us

If you have been diagnosed with CIDP, contact our office for a free consultation with one of our experienced vaccine team members. You may be eligible for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Learn more about CIDP:

• CIDP description from Johns Hopkins
• CIDP description from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• CIDP description from GBS/CIDP Foundation International