A. I am sorry to hear that you think you may have CIDP, or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
CIDP is a very rare neurological disorder. As you may know, CIDP happens when nerve roots and peripheral nerves become inflamed and destroy the nerves’ fatty protective covering, called the myelin sheath. It is very similar to the better-known Guillain-Barre syndrome and in fact is considered the chronic version of that disease. Its cause is unknown.
CIDP strikes at any age but is more common in a person’s 50s and 60s, and affects males more frequently than females.
Symptoms of CIDP include weakness and impaired movement in the arms and legs, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, and dizziness that occurs when you are standing up or stretching. These symptoms tend to appear gradually, except in children when symptoms may appear suddenly. The symptoms may stop, then start up again, get worse and then improve. For a diagnosis of CIDP to be made, the symptoms need to last at least 8 w
