Fatigue, Pain, Anxiety and Depression in Guillain– Barré Syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy

Background: In the clinical evaluation of patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), scant attention is paid to symptoms such as fatigue, pain and anxiety/depression. We aimed at addressing seminal studies that focused on the burden of these symptoms and their impact on quality of life (QoL) in these conditions. Summary: Fatigue, pain, and anxiety/depression are increasingly being recognized in patients with GBS and CIDP, although their pathophysiological provenance remains unknown. Fatigue and pain are significant in terms of prevalence and intensity, may be a presenting symptom, and can persist for years after apparent functional recovery, suggesting residual injury. Anxiety/depression has also been examined although studies are limited. Despite their negative impact on QoL, the long-term dynamics of these symptoms in patients with GBS and particularly CIDP receiving therapy in routine clinical practice have not been systematically evaluated. Such observations formed the basis for the ongoing (GAMEDIS) studies evaluating the effect of Gamunex ® on fatigue and depression in patients with CIDP, of which some preliminary data are preReceived: December 17, 2015 Accepted: March 8, 2016 Published online: April 15, 2016 Ingemar S.J. Merkies, MD, PhD Department of Neurology Maastricht University Medical Centre P. Debyelaan 25, NL–6229 HX Maastricht (The Netherlands) E-Mail i.merkies @ mumc.nl © 2016 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel 0014–3022/16/0754–0199$39.50/0 www.karger.com/ene Th is article is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BYNC-ND) (http://www.karger.com/Services/OpenAccessLicense). Usage and distribution for commercial purposes as well as any distribution of modifi ed material requires written permission. D w nl oa de d by : 54 .7 0. 40 .1 1 10 /6 /2 01 7 10 :1 0: 05 P M