Gangliosides and autoimmune neuropathies: classification and clinical aspects of autoimmune neuropathies.

AutoiMMune/inflAMMAtory optic neuropAthies

InTRoDUCTIon Inflammatory, demyelinating optic neuritis is one of the most common optic neuropathies in young adults. It occurs idiopathically, or in association with multiple sclerosis, and follows a typical course of progressing visual dysfunction often with pain for one – two weeks, followed by significant resolution over the next few weeks. Due to the characteristic presentation and frequen...

Autoimmune neuropathies and treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins

Subtype-specific therapy for autoimmune neuropathies?

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) are the most common autoimmune neuropathies. In both disorders, different variants have been described, reflecting the types of axons that are affected (motor and/or sensory), the nature of the injury (axonal vs demyelinating), and the response to treatment. Because most patients respond to therapies that...

Neurofascin antibodies in autoimmune, genetic, and idiopathic neuropathies

OBJECTIVE To measure the frequency, persistence, isoform specificity, and clinical correlates of neurofascin antibodies in patients with peripheral neuropathies. METHODS We studied cohorts of patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) (n = 59), genetic neuropathy (n = 111), and idiopathic neuropathy (n = 43) for immunoglobulin (Ig) ...

Paraneoplastic Retinopathies and Optic Neuropathies vs. (non-cancer) Autoimmune Related Retinopathy and Optic Neuropathy (arron Syndrome)

CME QUESTIONS 1. For patients with cancer-associated retinopathy, all of the following are true except one: a. They typically have a severely reduced ERG b. They usually display a marked loss of vision c. They often have photopsias d. Small cell carcinoma of the lung is one of the more common associated tumors e. The visual loss is easily treated with appropriate immunologic therapy 2. All of t...