Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with dysglobulinemia: a peripheral nerve biopsy study in 18 cases

The possible occurrence of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropath y (CIDP) in association with an identified dysglobulinemic status is recogn ized and a causal relationship between the two has been suggested. We had t he opportunity to study 18 patients presenting with CIDP and dysglobulinemi a. This was an IgG monoclonal gammopathy (IgG MG) in 8 cases, an IgM monocl onal gammopathy (IgM MG) in 8, an IgG-IgM biclonal gammopathy in 1 case and an IgM monoclonal cryoglobulinemia in another. A peripheral nerve biopsy s pecimen was available for all patients and the morphological findings in th ese specimens in the cases of CIDP with IgG MG or cryoglobulin did not diff er from those without, whereas characteristic features were observed in the cases of CIDP with IgM MG and anti-myelin associated glycoprotein activity .