ABSTRACT
Acute and chronic Inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies represent an important
group of disorders. Although the acute form is more common, all clinical neurologists
will eventually encounter patients with these disorders. Acute inflammatory demyelinating
polyneuropathy, or Guillain-Barre syndrome, is the most common cause of acute generalized
weakness. Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, characterized by progressive
or relapsing weakness, is important to recognize because it represents a significant
number of all initially undiagnosed acquired neuropathies. There are a variety of
reasonable therapies available for both of these acquired demyelinating neuropathies.
Recently much has been learned about pathogenesis and treatment. This review describes
the clinical presentations, laboratory studies, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and
prognosis for each disorder.
Keywords
Guillain-Barré syndrome - chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy - neuropathy
