Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare but serious autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system that can lead to progressive muscle weakness and sensory disturbances. Recent research has linked IgG4 autoantibodies to the disease mechanism in certain CIDP subtypes.

A promising and increasingly recognized treatment for CIDP is therapeutic apheresis, especially immunoadsorption (IA). This method selectively removes disease-associated autoantibodies – including IgG4 – from the plasma, directly targeting the autoimmune component of the disorder.

Current scientific evidence suggests that apheresis in CIDP not only provides short-term symptom relief but may also help stabilize disease progression over the long term. The treatment is typically administered at regular intervals and has shown to be well tolerated in many patients.
 
“Our results suggest that IA might constitute a promising and well-tolerated therapeutic alternative in CIDP for short-term and long-term treatment. We showed that long-term treatment with IA in regular intervals can stabilize the course of disease at least in a subgroup of patients.”
Dorst et al. J Nerol 2018

As such, immunoadsorption is emerging as an effective alternative or complementary therapy to standard treatments such as intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) or corticosteroids. It may be especially beneficial for patients with therapy-resistant forms of CIDP or those who experience adverse effects from other treatments.