Pain in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Although chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) predominantly affects large myelinated fibers, many patients have pain. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the current literature regarding CIDP with a particular focus on epidemiological and clinical characteristics of painful CIDP. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed database. RESULTS: Our search strategy identified 146 articles. Thirty-eight papers, reporting on 991 patients, met the inclusion criteria and were used for this review. The pooled estimate of the prevalence of pain at any point within the course of CIDP was 46% (95% CI 36–57%). Immune treatment of CIDP might be adequate as monotherapy for the management of pain. Treatment specific to pain currently shows effectiveness as adjuvant treatment when CIDP is treated and pain persists. CONCLUSIONS: Pain in CIDP is an underexplored field. Future research should focus on the natural history, phenomenology, and management of pain in CIDP.