Your individual CIDP treatment plan will depend on factors such as symptom severity, nerve damage, and what your doctor thinks will work best to preserve and restore function.
“In CIDP, there are three approved and well-evidenced interventions: plasma exchange, intravenous immunoglobulin, and corticosteroids,” says Michal Vytopil, MD, PhD, vice chair of neurology at Beth Israel Lahey Health’s Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Corticosteroids
Plasma Exchange (Plasmapheresis)
This treatment involves taking blood and using a machine to remove the plasma (the liquid component of blood, which, in people with CIDP, contains harmful antibodies that attack the nerves). It is then replaced with healthy plasma from donors and the blood is put back into the body.
Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy (IVIG) or Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Therapy (SCIg)
This treatment involves intravenous (IV) infusions or injections of immunoglobulins, proteins your body makes to protect against invading organisms such as viruses and bacteria.
IVIG or SCIg can help reduce your immune system’s attack on peripheral nerves, but as with plasma exchange, the effects last for only a few weeks, and you’ll need consistent ongoing treatments to manage CIDP.
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